Shattered Silence
by Emperor Kumquat
Summary: The Predacons violently kill Starscream at Darkmount, and his murder shocks everyone. However, life happily goes on without him. What no one expected was that Starscream would return as a powerful and vengeful ghost, after those who slighted him in life. First, there is disbelief of his existence, until his hauntings increase and turn mortally dangerous.
1. Alone

**This story will be a rewrite of _The Most Silent of Screams_, containing the same themes and some ideas/scenes from the original. The plot will be modified to better follow the canon. This is a supernatural story about Starscream's unique ability (the power of his immortal spark), of haunting his enemies, and seeking revenge for his death. There will be plenty of spooks both comical and serious, and a rollercoaster of emotions for the characters.**

* * *

_He abandoned me._

Starscream stared, transfixed as Megatron sailed away into the night. The air settled in his wake, then Starscream began to realize how vulnerable he was here, standing alone with the Autobots. He had to leave, swiftly, before their senses cleared and they imprisoned him again.

"Yes, well," he stammered to them. "We all have plenty to think about, don't we?"

Everything felt so surreal to him, and that Megatron could just change like that seemed impossible. Starscream hardly felt his stiff steps before he lifted off into the sky. Only after a few minutes of slow flight did Starscream start to grasp the reality.

_Megatron has abandoned me!_

Starscream certainly felt the _me_ of the abandonment instead of the _us_. He had never felt connected to other Decepticons, thus lacked that entire feeling of unity. But after spending time as a loner, returning to the Decepticons had been a blessing. There had been protection there at the very least. That held true, even if Megatron intimidated and physically abused him at times. There was consistency with Megatron. So long as Starscream stayed submissive, there had been energon, free medical care, and a higher chance of staying alive. That had made the abuse seem endurable at the time.

Then something changed as he continued his slow flight. It happened as Starscream came to terms that there would be no more Megatron. First he was scared, unsure how he would live his daily life, until he realized that with Megatron was gone, now _no one_ was commanding him. Megatron might as well have been dead again, and Starscream remembered that he had functioned in a time where Megatron had been catatonic.

_Yes_. After the spacebridge explosion, it had been terribly easy to slip into the leadership position. Starscream remembered how calm those times had been, where he could confidently drawl a speech to a crowd with straight posture. Without Megatron, he had not been afraid to be himself.

_Myself. Indeed, how could I have forgotten myself? I am no one's servant! How had I let myself fall so low? To be reduced to bowing and whining at Megatron's feet, accepting his abuse in exchange for sanctuary?_

Starscream swerved, checking the constellations to navigate over the burnt terrain of Cybertron.

_Very well, master! _he spat in his mind. _Begone! And good riddance! I shall rule with no more fear of your shadow falling over me!_

As Starscream headed to Darkmount, the plan seemed more and more attractive. No one had seen Soundwave for a while now, so he was out of his way. And the last time he had seen Shockwave, he had been getting torn apart by undead Predacons. Starscream, assuming he was dead, beamed internally. If Shockwave was truly dead, then there would be no competition anymore.

The length of the night had exhausted him, keeping him from blasting off ahead to Megatron's abandoned throne. The gentle but steady pace refreshed him instead, sharpening his consciousness.

_Abandoned!_ Starscream almost laughed to himself. That was what Megatron had done to him and also the Decepticon throne. In that case, it was only suiting that Starscream seize it.

When the cold tower loomed before him, Starscream jetted up to its highest level. The plump moons floated in the sky behind him as he transformed and padded nonchalantly towards the throne. Unoccupied, unguarded.

_All mine_.

"This is not quite how I envisioned my rise to the throne," he purred to himself. "But since Megatron all but surrendered it to me, I will gladly revive the Decepticons in _my _name."

Free from Megatron's cruel hold at last, Starscream's spark soared with excitement. Staring at the throne as he spoke, he fantasized about the bright future he would have. The dream, however, did not last longer than his words. The moment Starscream had finished speaking, powerful wings strokes cracked the silence behind him.

Starscream knew exactly what that sound was. He knew it so well that he jolted in automatic response, then fearfully and all so slowly looked over his shoulder.

But it was more than just _what_ had made that sound. It was about the _why_, as in why now, so far away and here where Starscream was alone?

Starscream gasped hoarsely before Predaking slammed onto the metal behind him and released a piercing screech. To his right, Skylynx landed, and to his left, Darksteel. Each Predacon glared something venomous at him past their fangs and beaks, and before them, Starscream felt hopelessly small.

At once, his confidence was sapped. Starscream had forgotten all about them, and he had not even known that Predaking was still alive, let alone on Cybertron. The shock nearly left him quaking, but he forced what he hoped were life-saving words out of his mouth.

After another ugly gasp, Starscream choked, "Though perhaps, a throne is more befitting of an actual k-king?"

There was no controlling that nervous, high-pitched whine at the end. Predaking transformed, marching up to Starscream with contempt in his gaze. As he spoke to him, Starscream hobbled back.

"I am not here to seize thrones, Starscream..." Predaking uttered with disturbing, cold clarity.

Darksteel and Skylynx remained in beast-form and prowled up to Predaking's side. They stretched up their necks and widened themselves to stand even taller over the terrified Seeker. As they growled at him, Starscream gasped again in fear.

"...but to settle scores…"

The three continued to slowly approach him with an all too clear intention. Skylynx and Darksteel shook their heads and snapped their beaks, hinting at what they were eager to do. Starscream's legs banged against something solid, and he fell back into the throne. He had forgotten it, but now he found himself pinned in the seat many times too large for him. As vengeful shadows fell over him, he squirmed and curled into the throne that had not been made for him. His wings were askew in his panic, and when they screeched at him, he released a wailing scream back.

"Wai- wait!" he then attempted to mewl. "No-"

Perhaps it would have worked with Megatron. He might have paused, buzzing with irritation and boredom, to hear Starscream whimper. Then, Megatron might have decided he wasn't worth the effort. For the Predacons, however, it was not enough. Their claws itched to pierce him, to make him cry out in pain, thus the light of consciousness seemed to fade from their eyes.

He should have flown while he had the chance.

Predaking tuned out his pleas, snatched Starscream by the ankle, and tossed him at the feet of the other two Predacons. With a screeching skid across the ground, Starscream crashed into Skylynx's claws and was set upon before he could even orientate himself.

Thick fangs snapped into one of his wings as Skylynx seized it in his mouth, plucking Starscream off the ground. Flailing and shrieking, Starscream writhed and shot back a hand. His fingers sliced across the Predacon's face near the eye, forcing Skylynx to accidentally drop him. However, his feeling of hope was short-lived as Darksteel lunged and trapped him under a clawed forefoot.

With his free claws, Darksteel raked down his chest towards his abdomen. Deep lines opened and energon splattered Darksteel's remorseless expression. Starscream screamed in agony and struggled madly, but Darksteel's claws tightened around him and his throat. His beak cracked open, but then a commanding growl rumbled behind him. Now transformed again, Predaking rose up on four legs near the throne, opening the tendrils of his face to expose his fangs.

Starscream's mouth quivered as he spoke a plea, but he was so scared that his whisper was barely audible even to him. He thought that perhaps he had not said anything aloud at all. Yet he had, only it had not been registered by the Predacons at the time. Later, they would remember hearing him, but not now in the state they were in.

Darksteel shoved Starscream toward Predaking. He slid partway, not entirely into his grasp, and that was when Starscream realized his chance to escape.

_Away!_ was not the word he thought, but the feeling. It hammered his nerves and spark, a desperate _thump thump thump_ that in itself was terrifying. Starscream could see the edge of the tower, the open sky filled with the same soft breeze that had refreshed him on the way here. It was so close, and he wanted with all of his spark to be there, not here.

Starscream broke into a sprint and scrambled to the edge. His pain, his bleeding- it was all forgotten. He felt like he was diving into the stars as he tripped over the edge, rushing through the air to freedom. The deafening pulsing of fear drowned out all other sounds. He did not hear the Predacons pursuing him, and he barely heard himself transform and roar away into the night.

_I escaped!_ he thought with a sob. His body quivered all over from the trauma of facing such a bloody prospect of death. Starscream had never felt so helpless in his life, even compared to having Megatron's blaster in his face. Those Predacons had not heard him, and their empty, murderous eyes were sure to linger in his nightmares.

_They are truly beasts. Each one, more powerful than Megatron. And as Predacons, they…_

Starscream whimpered at the thought that perhaps, the dimness in their gazes had indicated something else. He wondered if they had fallen into a primitive mindset and would have devoured him. Was that the fate he had just narrowly escaped?

He had lost track of time and location in his fear. He only felt that he was moving, as though drawn somewhere on a cord. But eventually, he became more sure of himself. That was also when he finally felt safe and overjoyed.

"I'm okay!" he tittered in crazed relief. "Praise the Allspark!"

When Starscream remembered that he had been wounded, the pain snapped at him at once. Transforming and stressing his body had been necessary, but he could not continue like this. Starscream banked and zipped into a charred building through a hole in its wall, transforming and crashing into the floor. He rolled, once, twice- then crawled onto all fours and clutched his leaking chest.

Starscream checked the pool of blood already gathered in his palm. Dizziness overcame him and he dropped onto his side, moaning raggedly, "Primus…"

The pain was so sharp that he felt that he couldn't move again. It was all he could think about, and he suddenly feared that he would die here by himself if he didn't get help.

_Knockout!_ his mind whimpered. Starscream had forgotten recent events and reasons to hate him. So afraid of his pain and of dying here alone, he could only remember the times he had been in his care. When he had healed him after Megatron's punishment, after his arm had been shot off, and when he had transplanted his precious T-cog back into him…

Even at that time, Starscream's mind groaned out for Ratchet. He forgot all the reasons to bitterly hate the Autobots as well. All he saw in his mind's eye was Ratchet repairing his heavily bleeding leg on two separate occasions, and he imagined that Ratchet was going to help him again.

_Save me…_

Starscream jolted at the burst of colour that exploded on the dawning horizon. Through the hole of the blasted building, Starscream saw an erupting, rainbow firework. Flares of different colours separated and sped away to whiz around in joy. Instantly, Starscream knew they were sparks, Cybertronian life forces, temporarily leaving the Well. Despite the pain, he watched in dumbfounded awe.

The colours ventured his way, slowing down once they neared him. They could see him, and while that alone did not surprise him, the sparks began to do something that unsettled him. They stayed, then began to drift in circles around him.

He shivered in sudden fear.

"What are you doing?" he cried.

More than a dozen spun around him, and more joined in. They watched, as though curious of something.

"I am not dying!" Starscream snapped at them. "I will not become one with the Allspark this night! Away with you!"

Starscream swiped at the nearest ones, which floated away from his claws.

"_Won't you come?_" came a whisper.

Starscream stiffened. Had he just heard one of the sparks speak? Was that possible, or had he imagined it?

"No!" he cried. "I will live!"

It was all this spilt energon, he thought, that interested them. But Starscream's eyes were not even flickering, as the eyes in dying bots do. He was sure that all he needed was to rest on a berth, have his wounds welded, and his body filled with fresh energon.

"_He does not know_," another voice murmured.

Starscream hated the sickly softness of the spark voices. He squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out their iridescent light as they spun around him. Faster and faster, each of them curious to have a look at him. Even while refusing to look at them, he could feel their warmth and he imagined the colours dancing over his body as they swirled around him.

"Begone!" he snapped. "Leave me!"

The small tornado of lights slowed, the swirling ceasing. Shocked by his harshness, the sparks realized they would receive nothing else than his stubborn response. Light in the building dimmed as the sparks crept away, understanding that there was nothing they could say to ease him. The colours flew back from where they had come, to settle back into the warmth and peace within the Allspark.

Starscream felt the darkness around him tightening in their absence. He had not wanted to be alone, but they had overwhelmed him and frightened him with their connection to death. Although he had refused to see or hear them, he now forgot his wounds for the moment and felt the sudden weight of the new silence.

* * *

**This chapter draws heavily from the original. What was added was to address things that were not in the movie.**

**-an explanation as to how the Predacons were able to catch up to Starscream.**

**-a brief explanation as to why Starscream regained his old ambition to rule so suddenly.**

**I'm trying not to be too "wordy" either as I was in the Marred Pariah. I want to be closer to the quicker style of the original story, except writing a plot that makes more sense now that I know the Transformers aligned continuity lore much, much better. The Unicron escaping plot will be scrapped and replaced with a more Starscream-centric story. What is **_**very**_ **important to me is that I develop the characters. The Predacons in the original story were stubborn, cruel, and could not be sympathized with. This time, I want to add a complexity to them. As Starscream focuses on them and Megatron for his revenge, he will make some surprising discoveries that change him.**


	2. The Missing Memory

Starscream's eyes flashed open.

There was the same dirty floor beneath him, except now, there was no puddle of blood below him. For a second, he had been so distracted and vexed by the swirling sparks that he had forgotten his injuries. Now, Starscream saw that there were none at all.

"What?" he whispered. He stumbled onto shaky feet, gazing over his chest. Where there had been marks and burning pain, there was now nothing but the smooth, grey metal of his chest, complete with an unharmed Decepticon insignia.

"Was that a dream?" he wondered. "It felt so real and yet…"

It was the only thing that could explain it, yet he couldn't remember flying here for a rest. Had he ever flown to Darkmount, or had that all been in his dream? He was close to the Well of Allsparks, still close to the Autobots he had wanted to flee from. Starscream shook himself out. That dream had been so disturbingly vivid and long. The beast faces of the Predacons haunted his mind and one of his wings twitched as he remembered the distinct feel of Skylynx's teeth in it.

"What a horrible nightmare," he muttered. "Those miserable beasts, catching me… and Predaking? Alive and on Cybertron? How absurd…"

But if that dream had been good for anything, it was to give him the idea of going to Darkmount. Why not take it in Megatron's absence? Or, had that too been a dream? Was Megatron even back from the dead? Starscream shook his head and sighed. He was so unsure of how he had gotten here that he no longer knew when that dream ended and began.

All that insanity about Unicron and the Predacon zombies must have been the work of his creative and overactive mind. So what had he been doing out here then? Searching for fossils for Shockwave? That sounded right. Starscream must have been stone-tired and had slept in the shelter of the building. In that case, he should be heading back if Shockwave was waiting on him.

Starscream walked toward the gaping hole in the wall and failed to notice that his feet did not disturb the dust over the floor. There was not even an imprint to show where he had supposedly lain. As he peered at the sky warming up, he was surprised by how strange he still felt. He felt overly light, and there must have been something numbing his systems since he could not feel the ground below his feet.

_I must be sick_. His eyes widened. That would explain his sudden recharge and what he thought was a fever gripping him. Also, it would explain the horrifying dreams and gaps in his memory. In that case, he definitely needed to get back to Shockwave. Starscream transformed and tore out from the hole, glad that he was well enough to do that at the very least.

Once out of the building, he almost instantly saw a huge lump of spiked, grey metal. A gasp escaped him as he saw the ruined _Nemesis_ lying near the Well. That had been in his dream. But if it was here, then that part had been real. Unicorn, Knockout's betrayal, Starscream's imprisonment then escape…

_And Megatron's change?_

What was false then, and what was real? Again, when did the dream start and end? Surely, everything including the Predacons couldn't be real if he retained no marks of the incident.

"I cannot be sick enough to hallucinate _that_."

Drawn by curiosity and confusion, Starscream swept down and transformed near the _Nemesis_. He padded warily onward, eyes wide and staring around for Autobots. Body stiff, he was ready to fly away at the sight of them. Yet he was still swept up in disbelief, so he could not resist the urge to come up to touch the damaged exterior of the warship.

He placed his hand over the metal, but he did not feel it. Just like he hadn't felt wind over his wings as he flew here.

"What is wrong with me?" he muttered. Never had he lost the ability to feel, and he could not think of anything that could have brought on such a damaging sickness. His mind started to change though, the longer he stared at his hand as it touched but felt nothing.

"This must be some virtual reality," he murmured, and gazed suspiciously around him in case someone was watching him from a screen. He would like to think that he was clever, figuring it out so quickly if this was what had happened. "I was captured, and now I am being tested… but who would have...?"

Starscream stalked off, deciding to lose his fear of the Autobots. There was so much that did not make sense that this simply could not be real anymore.

He paused. Glaring at the sky, Starscream called, "Is this you, Shockwave? Am I the test subject of some kind of-"

Starscream heard a noise and a voice. He twisted his head, then jogged down the length of the ship toward an opened side door. Hiding behind one of the ship's spikes, Starscream spied on Bulkhead gathering a small group of vehicons and escorting them into the ship. Seeing tools in their hands, Starscream knew that the vehicons were about to start repairing the _Nemesis_, beginning with the control room.

His head hurt again when he remembered his confusion. After the brief distraction, Starscream padded backwards and grumbled, "What is the point of this simulation?"

If that was what it was. The _realness_ of the Autobot and the vehicons set him on edge though. And now that he thought of it, he had been in simulations before where he _could_ feel things. Shockwave wouldn't have created a virtual reality without that feature.

Starscream stared at the last vehicon for too long. When he glanced around himself, he gasped. Part of the ship was phasing through his body, impaling him cleanly. But of course, it wasn't. He was not bleeding, and there was no feeling at all. With a yelp, Starscream shot away and stumbled into the wall of the _Nemesis_. It did not catch him; he fell right through it, tripping into a room inside.

Darkness. Starscream gasped fearfully, at first unsure of where he was. He could not feel floor or walls, and he could barely see. He only figured out where he was because emergency lights provided just enough light for him to make out the familiar structure of the warship.

It was dead silent here. Starscream squeezed his legs together, shivering as though his spark was shaking his whole body. Once he got over some of his shock, he padded out into the shadow-strewn hallway. But his eyes widened, for there was a spot of impenetrable darkness up ahead where some of the lights had malfunctioned. Some lights, still barely alive, flickered ominously.

He took some shaky steps forward, but he was so unnerved. The ship was supposed to be humming its constant tune, and there should have been vehicons wandering about. But there were no sounds; there was no life. Starscream grew ever the more frightened, getting a tingling sensation that something was about to burst out at him and break the silence. Around every corner, he inhaled sharply, and in each patch of darkness, he quickened his pace.

Despite this, he wasn't sure if it was the ship that truly worried him the most. As he went along, his mind whimpered, _How did I go through the wall? Why am I here? Who is doing this to me?_

He was also aware that his feet were not making a sound.

At this point, he just wanted to reach the Autobots and vehicons for answers. He would escape this horror setting, then hopefully find out what the point of the simulation was. If he was supposed to do something, then he wanted to know as soon as possible. The confusion and fear, the lingering nightmare images of the Predacons, they were getting to him.

The front room was crammed with vehicons and Autobots. Since the door to the front had cracked and broke in the crash, Starscream could see them all: Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee were focused on a computer that a vehicon was rebooting. He paused at the doorway, nervous to approach the Autobots because he had a memory of them capturing him here then locking him away.

He cleared his throat. Vehicons continued to work, and the Autobots did not turn their backs. Blinking, Starscream stepped out from the doorway partially into the room. The head of one vehicon turned, looking straight at him, before looking elsewhere.

"What?" Starscream spilled. But even at his exclamation, none of the Autobots looked back at him.

Instantly, he felt weighted down with dread. There was absolutely something not right. A hot flash of fear nearly told him what was wrong, but just when Starscream felt he almost had the answer, he lost it. He ached with confusion again.

He could not think well enough to plan anything more sophisticated. Starscream stuttered out a plain, "Hello?"

They should have heard him on the other side of the room. The vehicons right beside him especially, should have heard him.

The fear flashed back, still without answers.

"What is going on?" he cried.

Starscream trotted down the catwalk. The Autobots heard no voice, heard no thumping footsteps.

"Why don't you hear me?" Starscream gasped. "Can you not see me?"

Starscream's hand reached out to touch Bulkhead. But then, he saw the reflection in the black screen in front of them. In that reflection were all of the Autobots and the vehicon, but not him. At Bulkhead's side, there was simply nothing there.

Starscream stared for many long seconds of disbelief. Then, the screen came to life, erasing the reflection and washing the Autobots' faces with light. The vehicon stepped back as Bumblebee came forward, but before Bumblebee could do a thing, the screen _bling_ed.

Surprised, the Autobots leaned forward.

"The ship just picked a distress signal." Bumblebee blinked. "It was sent last night."

"What?" Arcee put herself forward too. "From who?"

Bumblebee replied, "From Starscream."

As they all looked at the screen, Starscream wove around Bulkhead and stood among them. He too blinked at the image of himself next to the recent distress signal.

"Why do you think he sent that?" Bulkhead asked.

There was a sudden and brief silence, where the Autobots seemed to remember something at once. They cast uneasy gazes at each other.

Bumblebee continued, "I will… triangulate the coordinates."

"What were those looks for?" Starscream asked aloud. "Is there something you know?"

_What happened to me?_

His body pulsed with fear, so powerful that he could not think again. Starscream stood and quivered, at first not hearing Bumblebee when he reported the location.

"It's from Darkmount."

Darkmount… _Darkmount!_

Starscream gasped and quaked. But still, something locked his mind, keeping him in terrified ignorance. Still he stood, as the Autobots looked again to each other.

"We better check it out," Bumblebee said. They all nodded.

_I don't remember sending a distress call…_

_But I was at Darkmount._

"We can now activate a groundbridge with these controls."

_The ship crash was not a dream. Darkmount was not a dream._

Bumblebee began to type.

_The Predacons followed me there. They attacked me, but then…_

A portal opened up.

_I escaped and flew here…_

_Didn't I?_

It was all he could remember, but it did not explain a thing.

Arcee transformed her arms into blasters, and she was the first to dart through the portal. Without thinking, Starscream walked through after her. Upon arriving to the upper level of Darkmount, she froze. Starscream had hardly come through when he too, came to an abrupt stop.

Below their feet was a layer of cooling energon, blood that stretched out to drench the entire scene. Splattered blood, pooled blood, and blood smearing the throne. Sunlight struck it and gave it a magnificent, blue glow. And in the energon, there were pieces. Some were metal bits that could not be easily identified, but the rest were easily recognizable: a small wing, parts of wingtips, a shoulder plate, leg armour, the spike of a kneecap, glass, and broken tubes. Arcee and Starscream had to look over all of it as they gazed at the mangled body lying in the centre, a gray body of a Seeker abandoned with his internals dangling out.

Starscream's body.

"Bumblebee," Arcee contacted him. "We have a situation."

Starscream's hands slowly crept over his face.

"What is it?"

"Starscream. He's dead."

"What?"

"The Predacons. It's a mess…"

Starscream folded over, collapsing onto his knees before he screamed. His eyes were huge as he stared into the blood under his knees, gasping, choking, and screeching repeatedly. Now, in the midst of his death scene, Starscream remembered everything that had been so horrible, he had tried to forget.

_Darksteel shoved Starscream toward Predaking. He slid partway, not entirely into his grasp, and that was when Starscream realized his chance to escape._

Away! _was not the word he thought, but the feeling. It hammered his nerves and spark, a desperate _thump thump thump _that in itself was terrifying. Starscream could see the edge of the tower, the open sky filled with the same soft breeze that had refreshed him on the way here. It was so close, and he wanted with all of his spark to be there, not here._

_He shook, blood spilling out of his chest. As he lifted himself onto unsteady arms, Predaking slammed his claws onto his back and pinned him down to the ground. Starscream whimpered and clawed at the metal floor, but he could not pull himself away. In the next moment, he was screeching when thick teeth bit into and yanked one of his smaller wings. But instead of coming out from the joint, the wing ripped with a shrill tearing sound. Energon flowed down his back, hot like fire. Then, Predaking bit diagonally into his shoulder, head pressing against his, pressing into the sound of his screams._

_Silently, Starscream sent his distress signal. In his terror and pain, he forgot that the _Nemesis _had crashed, so it was unlikely that the signal would be read. He thought of Knockout and Ratchet, and on repeat, he thought, _Save me.

_Predaking pulled back, tearing pieces of his shoulder armour off completely. He raised his foot for a moment, releasing Starscream. But just as Starscream began to crawl forward, he dug his claws into his legs and dragged him back through his energon. Each curved blade of those claws sank into his metal, deep into his legs. Starscream twisted despite the pain, his upperbody free enough to do so. He pointed a missile toward Predaking's face and fired._

_Starscream glimpsed Predaking's surprised face dodging right. But there was no way that he could avoid getting hit at this distance. The explosion above him sent Starscream skidding away, and past the fire, a dark shape flailed in pain. He crashed into Skylynx, just as the Predacons reacted to what he had done. They heard Predaking's pained screech, and then they responded with enraged shrieking of their own._

_Skylynx viscously bit into Starscream's arm, shaking his head and tearing. First the missile came off, but when Starscream panicked and clawed at his face, Skylynx snapped out again and crushed his arm, growling before ripping out a chunk of it. Darksteel was upon him a moment later, raking his claws into whatever struggling metal he could. Starscream's legs kicked as they were shredded, splattering energon over them all. Then Darksteel's huge beak clamped down on one of his wings, and he stole Starscream away from Skylynx. _

_Starscream's world rushed as the Predacon slammed him repeatedly on the ground, denting and breaking him until his clawing and flailing ceased. Blackness and pain momentarily blinded him. He felt that he had been dropped on his stomach, wings again exposed. Skylynx pounced upon him; Starscream could tell, because he felt his teeth biting into his wings, puncturing holes and tearing off pieces as he also scratched rips into them._

_Nothing Megatron had ever done to him had hurt more than this. He had been beaten by Megatron, but here, he was being opened up by the Predacons. Starscream wailed as his energon pumped out of him, soaking him with burning heat. He tried to twist and scratch them, but they backed off before his vision cleared. When he could see again, he saw Predaking's maw opening above him._

_The enormous fangs of daggers pierced his side, catching him and lifting him. Predaking hurled him toward the throne with a shriek of fury, but the shriek followed Starscream even after he struck the throne with a cry. The massive Predacon charged him, never giving him a moment of relief before he pounced and snatched him in his claws. Starscream had tried to raise his hands protectively, but claws hooked around and tore down his face, chest, and neck. _

_In the next moment, he was on the ground. What happened came as such a horrible rush because it was the last thing he remembered. Predaking's face was over him, eyes without remorse and eyebrows scrunched up in rage. His teeth shifted as his growl grew louder and louder. Then, his jaws parted and snapped right into Starscream's gut. His cockpit shattered as the teeth sank into his organs and tubes. Starscream gazed down, seeing it all happen. He saw his energon spraying Predaking's face, and he saw his severed guts coming up as Predaking pulled back. There was a peek of his precious T-cog._

_Then, as his body began to lift, the pain numbed. The light of his bright, blue blood faded, as did the glowing eyes of Predaking. There was only a moment of darkness before everything turned bright again. Starscream's spirit rolled away, fleeing in a panic away from Predaking toward the drop at the edge of the tower. He saw the dazzling stars in the night sky, then he dove into their embrace._

"By the Allspark," Bumblebee said.

He gaped at the scene of carnage before Bulkhead came through to also partake in the shock. They all stared at his mutilated corpse with bugged eyes, until Bulkhead rumbled, "The Predacons."

Starscream lost the strength to scream again. He sat over the blood he could not touch, curling up to begin to sob.


	3. News and the Body

"We… uh… should do something," Bulkhead began.

"Call Ratchet," Arcee said.

"Uhh… I don't think Ratchet can't do anything for him now."

"I know. I mean, he might better know how to… take care of the body."

Bumblebee nodded. "We can't leave him like this."

The scene was so gory that they did not know where to begin. They called Ratchet, informing him about what had happened. After leaving Ultra Magnus, he came up to the front of the _Nemesis_ and strode through their portal.

Starscream lifted his head from his hands, peeking at Ratchet as he joined them on the scene. He watched and waited to see how he would react, but Ratchet's expression was difficult to read. Since he had been forewarned, his eyes did not widen in shock. Face still, voice deeply serious, Ratchet told them, "I need a stretcher, and help getting him on it."

They snapped into action. Startled, Starscream hopped onto his feet and watched them work with his mouth agape. Under Ratchet's command, Arcee and Bumblebee began collecting his pieces in a tub while Bulkhead and Ratchet set down the stretcher next to Starscream's body. But when Bulkhead touched him, that was when Starscream was shaken by reality. They were picking up his _body_. Bulkhead pushed Starscream, dragging him through energon, smearing him, making his dark-eyed head flop-

"_Stop_!" Starscream screeched.

The body was unceremoniously pushed into the stretcher. A tube slid over his side, dripping his life's blood. Bulkhead quickly straightened him out and nudged in his arms and legs. Starscream stood beside him, face open in horror by how callously he seemed to be treated. No one fussed, no one trudged in mourning. Mechanically, his pieces and body were being cleaned up. He wanted Bulkhead to be gentler, slower, but he was not going to treat him as he would have if an Autobot had lain there instead of him.

"_S-stop_!" he wailed. "Don't! P-put me down!"

Yet Ratchet and Bulkhead had lifted him up the stretcher anyway. One of his arms slipped over the edge, but no one stopped to fix him. They carried on, shuffling along while Starscream lunged at them.

"Stop!" He lashed out to grab Bulkhead's arm, but his hand passed through him. Desperate to feel something, Starscream raked his claws at him, left, right- and only grew more frantic. His yells became weaker as he followed Bulkhead and was helpless to stop him. Starscream halted at the portal's edge, staring at where his body vanished.

"No… please," he whimpered. He heard a clink as another piece of him was dropped into the tub. His mouth quivered, then he crumpled again since he had no strength to follow them. Starscream was aware that he was sitting over blood, but when he closed his eyes, he could shut the thought out from his mind. He felt none of it, but only himself floating in a calm nothingness.

But without feeling, he began to go mad. He would rather feel the cold metal and energon than this. Starscream gripped his arms, jerking each time he heard Arcee or Bumblebee drop another piece of himself into the collection. Finally, unable to take any more of it, Starscream wailed and raced away, jumping over the ledge just as he had before. Although this time, he would not forget what had happened to him. It was burned into him now.

_How could this have happened to me_? his mind cried. _How could they have done that? Why did I stay to talk? They aren't like Megatron. They are beasts who cannot be reasoned with. I shouldn't have been there. If I had chosen to do anything differently, then I would not be dead. Why did this have to happen?_

Though he was in the form of a jet, there was no wind, pressure, or temperature in his flight. His speed picked up, faster and faster, as it was not restricted by anything. In his grief, he barely focused on where he was travelling. His spark reached out, searching for help and comfort, and it found him a familiar place. Starscream slowed, coming up to the latest laboratory he and Shockwave had been hiding in. Warm, yellow light painted the ground as he walked inside, coming from the tube containing the Predacon.

Starscream narrowed his eyes at it, beginning to shake at the sight of its claws and teeth. But he skittered past it, suddenly relieved at the sight of Shockwave. The scientist hardly rested, and he was now up and at a computer, taping it in silence. Everything was as normal as it ever had been, although the wounds Shockwave had just fixed on himself were a reminder of the horrors of the Predacon zombies.

At this moment, Starscream was not jealous that Shockwave had survived. Perhaps he had never liked Shockwave, but he needed a steady presence near him. Starscream padded up to him and stopped beside him, gazing over his work. It did not seem to have anything to do with that developing Predacon. It was all numbers and a mystery as to what it meant. For some reason, it made him feel somewhat happier. Soft taps of Shockwave's hand, the shifting of his weight… with these sounds, Starscream forgot the sounds of metal falling into the tub.

He stayed still and closed his eyes for a long time. Then without opening them, he murmured, "Shockwave?"

No answer.

Starscream's face cracked with sorrow. It was still true. As far away as he was now, it had still happened. He quivered anew and headed to the corner, lying down over the floor to curl up. There was no way he could see the Autobots now, to see the state of himself was far too traumatic. All the images swam back to haunt him, but here was the best place he could be if he had to be somewhere.

_I wonder what Shockwave thinks. Maybe, he's waiting for me to come back…_

Starscream peered at Shockwave, but there was no way to tell what he was feeling.

_Perhaps he is angry at me for leaving him with the Terrorcons. He might not want me to come back..._

_...I'm never coming back. Not really. Not ever._

Starscream clenched up, then changed tracks. _Or he might understand. He could have driven away from the Terrorcons. We had to escape with our lives, and it was not like I could carry him or fight off the horde. Shockwave might not think I abandoned him._

_He stopped me from jumping down at Megatron's death to protect me. Despite our past, he did that. We are Decepticons. Shockwave wanted us to stick together, so maybe he is expecting that I will return and we will carry on as before…_

"Why did I go to Darkmount? Stupid… Oh, so stupid… If only I had come here. It would not have happened. Shockwave would have protected me from his horrid creations. I should have come looking for Shockwave instead of assuming he was dead… Why did I believe I could lead the Decepticons there? I had nothing, no one…"

_There was no reason to go there._

_I could be alive, but now I am trapped in this fate. I am dead, and there is nothing I can do. There is nothing…_

Heavy footsteps headed toward the entrance, and Starscream stiffened right up. Now, it was a bit too much like the old times. Skylynx and Darksteel tumbled in, but there was no energon covering their bodies at all. It looked as though they had found a pool of oil and rolled around in it, almost erasing the traces of what they had done. But Starscream's knowing eyes could see his own scratch marks around the armour of Skylynx's head and a few on Darksteel's chest. The cuts were brighter and clearer than the ones given by the rusty, decayed zombies, thus stood out.

_How dare they try to hide it!_ His body bristled from electrifying rage. _It was obvious that it was you! They will all know, you vile monsters! Do not try to act like your hands are clean now just because you washed yourselves!_

Shockwave turned and looked over at them, not afraid in the slightest.

"I heard about the success in protecting Primus," he told them. "It pleases me that you collaborated with the Autobots to thwart Unicron's plan for vengeance."

Darksteel replied, without the slightest smile on his face, "We, uhh, did not help much at all. There were too many to fight."

Skylynx asked, "How did you hear about that?"

"Megatron spotted me on my journey back here. He informed me about this, as well as the end of the War..."

Shockwave glanced behind them as Predaking finally stepped into view. Yet he was partially hidden in shadows near the entrance, turned to the side and giving the incubating Predacon glances.

"What are you going to do now?" Skylynx asked Shockwave. "Will you continue creating more of us?"

_More of you!_ Starscream clenched his fists and bared his teeth.

"I presume this question is the reason for your return," Shockwave said. "This Predacon will be fully developed in three solar cycles. You may take them and go wherever you wish, now that there will no longer be a feud between Autobots and Decepticons."

"So there will be no more," Predaking uttered from his patch of darkness.

Shockwave considered an appropriate response that would not offend them. Predaking continued anyway before he could answer.

"You created us to serve the Decepticons as weapons of War. The purpose of our existence is no more than that. You have no desire to restore our race. I assume you also feared us, like Megatron did, and you took part in the plan to exterminate the clones on Earth. Too many like us is a threat to your kind."

Shockwave studied him, trying to figure out his mood. The words sounded angry, but there was no strength behind them. Starscream, on the other hand, was convinced that the Predacons were about to start threatening the scientist.

"Your stance is clear," Predaking sighed. "I will not pressure you. If it will be so, then we four will be what remains of our race."

The spikes around Shockwave's head raised slightly, surprised that he had given in so easily. That was not how Predaking had been before. He should have argued, trying to advocate for the restoration of his kind, but something had changed. He peered at Predaking more closely, knowing that there must be a reason he was keeping himself at a distance from him.

When he stepped closer, Predaking turned around and told the others, "We will return in three solar cycles, then bother you no more."

"Wait."

Predaking halted at his deep rumble. Shockwave did not think he would have; he had expected that Predaking would ignore him and leave. Something was certainly weakening his will. Starscream realized that Shockwave had caught onto the strange mood and was about to make a discovery. Starscream leaned forward.

"You are wounded," Shockwave said.

Predaking half-turned, muttering, "From the battle with the undead."

Predaking tried to leave, but Shockwave's next words froze him.

"Those cuts are unusually small if they were inflicted by Predacons."

Skylynx turned away his heavily scratched head. Both he and Darksteel looked at Predaking, unsure if they should speak.

Starscream jolted, eyes wide and body jittery in excitement. Nothing escaped Shockwave's intelligent gaze.

Predaking stepped past Darksteel and Skylynx and fully entered the laboratory. Out of nowhere, his strength returned. His eyes were hard, revealing no fear as he showed himself in the light. On his armour was the burn mark of Starscream's missile, which was also covered in his scratches as it stretched out like an ugly stain over his chest.

"We killed Starscream," he uttered.

Shockwave stared at him, body revealing no emotion. Starscream twitched, looking rapidly from Predaking to Shockwave. His round eyes were beseeching, begging for a big reaction. Shock, outrage… but Shockwave only calmly replied to him.

"Why?"

Starscream cried, "_Why_? Is that all you have to say to these animals?"

No one heard him. The air was silent as Shockwave stared at Predaking.

"For all that he did to us, and others," Predaking stated. "I am sure that the world will be better off without him."

"How _dare_ you!" Starscream shrieked. "Nothing I ever did to you could compare to what you did to me! Your actions are unjustifiable! Monsters, sickening beasts-"

Starscream shot forward and struck at Predaking, slashing his claws and roaring out in rage. "_You_ do not have the right to decide! You know nothing, primitive savage! Do not make up these pathetic excuses when everyone knows what you are! A Predacon! A viscous predator who knows nothing more than killing!"

Starscream puffed and glared daggers at Predaking, who was not scratched or bloody anywhere from his ballistic attack. He growled in rage that there was nothing he could do, and when he turned and saw Shockwave's calm demeanor, he shouted in uncontrollable mania.

"No! You cannot _possibly_ agree with them! You don't know what they did! We were partners, Shockwave- so _say _something!"

Predaking turned and stepped out in a confident stride. Outside, all three Predacons transformed and took off to the sky. Starscream's spark throbbed with hate, and all he could do was shoot Shockwave the iciest glare. Had he been alive, he would have shot a missile at his head without hesitation. This was no longer a home or a calming place. Starscream stormed out from the laboratory, taking off on a flight path back to the Autobots.

Now, he wanted to see his body again and see how the Autobots were treating it. Inside, he anticipated their apathy toward his death and wanted to see it. To hate was much easier than to grieve over his violent end. He wanted to scream like he never had before to release the boiling stress inside him, and to blame everyone so that he would know how unjust his murder had been.

Starscream travelled at the speed of light. He was at Shockwave's one moment, then was gone entirely. Very soon after, he was back at the front of the _Nemesis_ and viciously scanning the room for Autobots. Yet in all of the time he had spent standing and listening to Shockwave, the vehicons had finished their job here and were now in the halls. They were unattended and hunched over, sparks from their welding tools dancing around their faces. Starscream walked a straight, stiff path through them on his way to the med bay.

He assumed that was where they might have put him. There did seem to be a lot of vehicons in the area, fixing up the path and doorways. When he burst into the med bay, however, it was not him lying on a berth. Instead, it was the relocated Ultra Magnus with Ratchet, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead around him. The burned and internally wounded commander was not conscious of them, with his eyes closed and body still in rest.

Ratchet said, "There is no reason to stress him when he will not be able to get up on his own for many more solar cycles. You know that if he hears of this, he will want to take action himself."

"You're right," Bumblebee nodded. "Of course."

"You have to take care of it," Arcee agreed while looking at Bumblebee. "You managed to make Predaking listen to you last time, and I am sure you can do it again. Ultra Magnus doesn't have the best history with Predaking either, considering what he did to his servo. I don't want to speak ill of the Commander, but you are the best candidate for a peaceful interaction between us and the Predacons."

Bulkhead still lifted a hand to caution them. "But if they turn against us, we aren't ready to defend ourselves. Not with this ship still grounded. 'Bee can't do anything if those three attack him."

"They won't attack me," Bumblebee replied, tone uplifted and confident. "Those Predacons were our allies. What they did was about something personal among the Decepticons. We'll learn more once I talk to them."

"Although, Knockout might know something about this," Arcee pointed out.

"We'd have to inform him first," Bumblebee said.

"How do you think he will feel about it?" Bulkhead asked. "I know he turned against 'Scream back there, but they still served together on this ship."

"He will find out eventually," Bumblebee replied. "In fact, we should probably inform everyone first."

Ratchet added, "Since Starscream never specified his desired burial practice in his profile, Knockout may know what we should do with him."

All the talk about him killed his wrath. At mention of Knockout and his funeral, he grew mournful. Maybe the Decepticon doctor would feel something for him, and help them decide how to take care of his poor body. And then, Bumblebee was going to go out and confront the Predacons about what they had done. Starscream felt a flicker of joy that they were going to do that on his behalf.

"Right," Bumblebee carried on. "He should be with Smokescreen, so let's bridge both back until this is settled."

Bulkhead pointed out, "Don't forget about Wheeljack. He's still out looking for new parts for Ultra Magnus' ship."

"Of course."

Starscream was excited by the action, but he was so utterly confused about Optimus. No one had even mentioned his name, as though he had never existed. It was impossible that this could happen, that they would remember Knockout, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack before their own leader. Where was Optimus? Starscream had seen him with Unicron in that vessel, before he had flown away from him last night. Where could he have possibly gone where no one could contact him? Deep underground where no signals reached? Is that why no one bothered?

One-by-one, the Autobots with their new addition of Knockout were summoned back to the ship. The first back were Smokescreen and Knockout, though Starscream did not know or care what they had been doing out together. He was absorbed in the moment, waiting for Knockout to hear the words. Arcee, Bulkhead, Ratchet, and Bumblebee had moved away from the med bay, waiting now in the front room to meet with them.

"What's going on?" Smokescreen chipped. His blue eyes widened and looked around at the serious faces. "Did you want to talk more about Optimus?"

"No. Something else has happened." Arcee looked over to Knockout, who was surprised to suddenly be the focus. "Sometime last night, Starscream was killed by the Predacons. We discovered his body at Darkmount this morning."

Knockout's eyes widened and he blinked quickly. "Come again?"

"Starscream is dead," she repeated, emotion lacking from her voice like an officer making a report.

"Starscream? Wha- really? How?" Knockout searched around them. "Are you sure?"

The Autobots raised their eyebrows.

"We're… certain," Bulkhead awkwardly answered, hoping he wouldn't have to explain the details.

"But this is Starscream." The truth hadn't really hit Knockout yet, even Starscream could tell. "He always wiggles out of these things… This wouldn't have happened. I mean, the, the _Predacons_? Couldn't he have flown away?"

"We received his distress signal after we rebooted the warship," Bumblebee said. "We traced it to Darkmount and found his body. It is in our possession now."

"You have his…" Knockout's tone faltered. "Oh."

"We're… sorry," Bulkhead told him. "I don't know how close you were, but if this is upsetting you…"

"I need a moment to process this," Knockout breathed. "I mean, I want to say that we weren't close but there were some times where he was…. I don't think he deserved this... Where... is he now?"

"You might not want to see him as he is now," Arcee told him.

"I can handle it; I'm a doctor. And I think I need to see him, since this is really hard to believe."

Smokescreen stared around at everyone, not sure what to say. Arcee and Bumblebee went forward to lead Knockout, but when Smokescreen stepped after them, Bulkhead wrapped an arm around Smokescreen's shoulders.

"You don't need to see it if you don't want to," he told him.

Smokescreen went along regardless, not wanting to stay back.

Everyone returned to the area of the med bay, but entered another room adjacent to it. Instead of putting his dripping body onto the medical berths, they had opted to lay him over a clean slab. It kept his energon from leaking onto the floor, but there wasn't much of that now. Someone had vacuumed a lot of it away, even sucking it off him to dry him. This time, the sight of his body was less horrifying and more sad now. Although he was stretched out, he looked so small and frail.

Another thinner sheet of metal had been curved and placed over his abdomen to respectfully cover his open gut. Starscream was surprised and touched, holding his hands over his chest. It might have only been done out of Autobot morals, but he liked that he had been carefully handled. Still, one could see his shredded wings and the chunks where pieces were missing. His eyes were dark in his now clean face, blemished by a long, downwards cut.

Knockout trudged forward, his red irises tight with shock. Now, it was real. He went ahead and knelt beside Starscream, looking into his lifeless eyes. Shaking his head, Knockout lifted the sheet and took a peek at his wounds. Starscream watched with him, both of them lost in the past when they saw the gold of his T-cog among the gore. Once, Knockout had transplanted his beloved organ back into him. He had seen Starscream's insides before, but not like this. Knockout lay down the metal cover carefully and looked back at his eyes.

"I don't know why the Predacons did this," Knockout murmured. "I know they always hated each other. I don't know everything, but Starscream openly spoke ill about Predaking. But compared to this, it was harmless. Insults about his intelligence… Nothing Starscream ever did warranted this."

Starscream sat and hugged his knees as Smokescreen stepped out of the room. Knockout's eyes wandered over Starscream's torn and lacking wings, which seemed to have taken the worst abuse out of everything. He told the Autobots, "This was murder, plain and simple."

"Thank you, Knockout…" Starscream whispered.

"To think the War just ended," Knockout went on, rambling in his shock. "He survived the whole thing, but then was killed hours after…"

"Optimus would have been so disappointed," Bulkhead sighed. "He never would have wanted this. It was supposed to be over."

"Why did they have to do it?" Knockout exhaled. "They didn't have to. No one ordered them to..."

"I don't know, but that's what I'm going to find out," Bumblebee said. "Obviously, we can't let the Predacons think this is acceptable. This is not how justice is done. They cannot judge others and decide arbitrarily who lives or dies, even if they wanted to do us a favor. It is a very dangerous idea."

Knockout stood up, backing away from Starscream.

"Poor 'Scream," he sighed. "What an awful way to go."

"You have no idea," Starscream murmured, still watching his own body.

He stayed behind when Knockout left. Smokescreen started talking to him, sounding consoling, but their voices faded away. Starscream waited until Wheeljack walked in with Bulkhead, took a look at him and whistled, "Well, even I never would have wanted to do _that_ to ol' Screamy. Those Predacons are some real beasts, aren't they? Hope Bumblebee won't have any trouble. You clearly don't want to be on their bad side."

As they departed, Wheeljack switched topics and asked, "So how's the Commander doing…?"

Starscream sighed heavily. Everyone was gone, and now it was just him and his body. It really was easy for him to feel sorry for himself, thinking about how skinny he was and how bad his wounds looked. Maybe if he had had an upgrade, a larger body with thicker armour, he might have survived. When he had that opening, he might have been strong enough to get up and flee before Predaking had pinned him. For a long time, he had been fine with being smaller since it made him more agile. Now, it was just a mistake in his eyes to have made himself so delicate. He had broken so easily between their teeth.

He had to see it when Bumblebee spoke to the Predacons. Starscream hopped up and hurried to the front, planning to come back to his body later. Everyone except Ultra Magnus gathered in the room before Bumblebee began preparations to leave. He listened to everyone's advice, agreeing mostly but disagreeing with the idea of keeping a portal constantly open.

"I will be fine," Bumblebee repeated. "Predaking does not seem to be aggressive to us. If he wanted revenge for the past, he would have come for us by now with the _Nemesis_ and Ultra Magnus' shipdown."

Wheeljack said, "'Bee, those Predacons aren't like us. I saw what Predaking did to Magnus. Like the 'cons, they don't have sparks. They'll torture and kill without feelin' a thing. It's to be expected, after all, since they're the trained pets of the 'cons to begin with."

Then Smokescreen surprised everyone by saying, "I also saw what they could do. They would have killed Ultra Magnus if it weren't for the phase shifter. So please, if anything, take that when you go talk to them. That way they won't be able to hurt you even if they tried."

Finally, Bumblebee conceded and took the phase shifter. He clicked it onto his wrist.

"Very well," Bumblebee said. "Is there anything else you have to say?"

They were done. Now, Bumblebee looked at Ratchet who was controlling the front computer. Knockout had mentioned that Predaking had in fact, been given a communication link by Megatron. When they looked into it, they discovered that like a normal Decepticon soldier, Predaking was traceable and reachable. They could call him if they wished and set up a meeting.

Bumblebee readied himself and replaced Ratchet at the front. The comm. link was open; Predaking would hear them the moment someone spoke.

"Predaking, this is Bumblebee at the _Nemesis_."

They heard wing flaps. Predaking was flying in draconic form, unable to speak.

"I would like to speak with you again, about our future on Cybertron. We would like to start our relationship anew, forming a peace between the Autobots and the Predacons. We could use your help in the rebuilding of Cybertron, and I am sure there is a place for your kind in the new society."

Starscream spluttered and yelped, "_What_?-"

"We offer you energon as well, and medical attention if you require it after your battle with Unicron's army."

Predaking had swooped and found a place to land. They heard him transform, before he answered, "I am willing to meet with you to discuss this. Where and when shall we do this?"

"Now, if it is convenient for you. The _Nemesis_ is displaying your location, so I can meet you at your present location."

Predaking made a displeased sound, most likely because he did not like that idea that the warship was still tracking him.

"So be it," he ultimately answered.

The Autobots cut off the call and opened the groundbridge portal. Starscream gawked, repulsed by both Bumblebee's words and Predaking's voice. Was it not supposed to be about _him_?

"Why didn't you say anything?" Starscream whirled on Bumblebee. "Accuse them! Let them know that you know what they have done!"

Everyone else looked surprised at Bumblebee, but he shrugged at them. "Trust me on this. If any meaningful talks are to happen, then this is the way it has to go about."

He popped into the portal with Starscream furiously stalking after him.


	4. Gathering Darkness

The Predacons were all gathered in their bipedal forms, Predaking in front with Skylynx and Darksteel stationed behind him. Bumblebee already wasn't the tallest of Cybertronians, and like Starscream, stood below Predaking's hips. It didn't stop him from approaching them, but he halted just out of their reach. Nothing in his face showed fear, yet his eyes were quickly soaking up the marks on the Predacons.

There was a story of struggle in the blast burn on Predaking's chest and the narrow scratches criss-crossing over their bodies. Starscream had fought hard to escape his fate, that was clear to Bumblebee. The way he looked at Predaking made the guilty party know in an instant that the Autobots knew about their murder.

Predaking flashed his yellow eyes at his chest and Bumblebee's face repeatedly. He shifted with discomfort, then spoke to get along with things.

"You wanted to speak with us."

Bumblebee looked up into his eyes and nodded. "As the War is over, we have no need to fight each other any longer. I propose that we work together to rebuild Cybertron. We would greatly appreciate your strength in construction projects, and if you have any suggestions for future projects, we would like to hear them."

Starscream wanted to snatch Bumblebee and shake him by the shoulders. "What are you _doing_?" he cried. "You know, _they_ know- so why aren't either of you speaking about the obvious? You Autobot should be repulsed! Optimus would have condemned what they did! What do you mean _strength_? You know that they just employed their strength for murder! Punish them! Imprison them! Are you seriously just going to ignore _everything_?"

Predaking twitched. "Very well."

Bumblebee was surprised. "So you will help us?"

Predaking's expression was steely. His head dipped in confirmation. Behind him, Darksteel and Skylynx were looking off to the sides as though they weren't aware of the conversation.

The agreement was so swift that now, Bumblebee wasn't sure how to best weave into the graver subject. He just commenced.

"It would be great to have you join the construction effort in Iacon, but before you do… There is another important matter to discuss."

There it was. Starscream saw Predaking's eyes narrow, and just as it had been at Shockwave's lab, his discomfort vanished. Now, Predaking solidified like a fortress, ready to defend himself unyieldingly.

"And that would be?" Predaking's tone bordered a challenge.

"We found Starscream," Bumblebee continued, but he tried to keep his voice light to not incite an argument. "We know that you three are responsible. But when we saw you head off in the direction he had taken, we had no idea that this was your intention."

Starscream's eyes opened in horror at Bumblebee. "You saw? You _all_ saw them go after me and none of you did anything? Why did Optimus not fly after them? He could have-"

Predaking glowered. "Why does his demise bother you, Autobot? Was he not your enemy as well?"

_As well_. Bumblebee was intrigued by those words. Although the Predacons had also been Decepticons, something made them think of Starscream specifically as an enemy.

"It is not our way to seek revenge and kill our enemies," Bumblebee replied. "We would rather change their ways than cause harm."

Starscream was still caught up on the last thing the Autobot had said, although he was listening. There was no possible way that the Predacons could have flown after him without arousing suspicion. It must have been obvious that they had ill intent, but perhaps the Autobots had assumed they would only beat him up and carry on. So was that acceptable to the Autobots? Did they forget to apply their doctrine to him, caring so little as to lift no finger to aid him?

"You Autobots are full of it," Starscream hissed. "I know you find it amusing when I am miserable. Don't think I didn't see the smirks plastered on your faces when you imprisoned me. And when I was rogue and injured, how much effort it took just to get first-aid from you! Arcee would have killed me as well back then, but she stopped only because she wanted to look good. Not that she was good. Deep inside, you all want to see me suffer, don't you!"

"Starscream would never have changed," Predaking uttered.

"Don't presume to know me!" Starscream cried.

Bumblebee replied, "He might have, if given time. It isn't for us to decide, for us to take away someone's chance."

Predaking clenched his fists. "What we did was _not _wrong. He was despicable and a danger to others! He might have killed others in his fixation on revenge. No, he deserved his fate. He was cruel to other bots, never showing an ounce of kindness."

"How is that different than you?" Starscream snapped.

"Predaking, I am not here speak about Starscream, but about our future," Bumblebee said. "We are going to share a planet, and we would like to be able to agree on laws and how justice should be had. We can't just go around killing whichever bots we please. There might come a day where someone is unjustly killed, and you realize it only when it is too late. Can we not agree on that?"

Predaking looked to the side, then muttered, "We can."

"Good. What we need is a court system, to hear about all the bad deeds committed by the accused. They need the opportunity to defend themselves, and if they are guilty, we will think of a punishment together."

It was insanely frustrating how businesslike this all was, ghosting over the severity of Starscream's murder. The Autobots, they were searching for the "greater good" approach and befriending the Predacons to change them. The worst part, however, was to hear the words _I am not here to speak about Starscream_. That struck true and deep. They weren't going to argue for him, feel for him, or avenge him in any way. His murder was a mistake, that was all, and the Predacons would be forgiven while Starscream was forgotten.

"Do you give us your word that you will never do this again?" Bumblebee pressed.

Predaking nodded slowly. His strange quickness to agree relieved Bumblebee, who felt that he was serious and not being duplicitous.

"Nothing like this will ever happen again," Predaking said.

Starscream hated the Predacons for slaughtering him, but now there was a special spot of darkness inside him for the Autobots. They had _let_ him die! His death was on their hands, and now they were just waving it off. But what could he do with such rage if he could not touch anyone? Now he screamed out his aching spark, and struck at Bumblebee then each of the Predacons. Hands passing through each one, clawing and pulling back emptiness, and the pain burning this memory into his spirit.

He was as helpless as he had ever been. It was crushing; his arms fell limp, and he thought to himself, _There is nothing that I can do, no matter how angry I get… I am just an extinguished spark now. Too weak to be seen, heard or felt! I'm supposed to go join the Allspark…_

That thought terrified him. It was a definite endpoint, where he was certain that every memory and part of him would be erased forever. At least here and now, he still knew who he was and could see what was happening in the world. He was far from ready to join the Allspark, and he did not think he would ever be ready. It baffled him that bots could just die and move on so easily, that even in life bots talked about it as a _good_ thing. Perhaps reincarnation was real, but he did not want to be someone else. Starscream wanted only to be himself, nothing less than that.

_Is there really no way for me to go back?_ he thought. He peered at Bumblebee, who was trying to encourage the Predacons through the freshly opened portal. _Other bots supposedly have before. And Megatron just did, though clearly with aid from Unicron. That Unicron option may be gone from me now, but there has to be a way… _

If he were alive again, then he could do something. He would sneak up on those Predacons, grasping a poisoned weapon, and finally get back at them for what they had done. Or he would find another way, a much slower and painful one, to kill them. Starscream grinned at the clear picture he had envisioned. He stopped feeling so helpless now.

"No, I will remain here for as long as it takes. There must be a way to bring me back to life, and I will find it in time. Or even, just a way for me to become strong enough to interact with the world I was ripped form. Yes… I have time. I will _never_ join the Allspark."

Starscream caught onto sudden hostility between Bumblebee and the Predacons. He had heard "no" and "not" a few times, then noticed that Predaking was refusing to follow Bumblebee through the portal. The Autobot was surprised, but there was distrust printed into the Predacons' faces.

"If you truly want our help," Predaking uttered, "then we will fly to Iacon and begin work there. We will cooperate, but we are not one of you."

Bumblebee stammered, but understood the situation immediately. Predaking did not want to bring him and the others to an unknown, possibly enclosed destination where the Autobots might use relics upon them. Bumblebee had already taken advantage of Predaking's ignorance, so he knew fully well that Predaking did not know what kind of weapons they had and how powerful they were.

It was good enough that he would comply and help them. The Predacons could live wherever they wanted.

"Do you need any energon or… medical attention?" Bumblebee asked, trying to end of their encounter politely.

"We will manage," Predaking answered coldly, seeing how Bumblebee had looked at the black burn over his chest.

"Then… when should we expect to see you?"

Predaking paused.

"By dawn tomorrow," he then replied.

None of the Predacons moved. They stared at Bumblebee for a while, the seconds long and uncomfortable. The chilled Autobot knew they were not going to leave before him, so he said an awkward goodbye before backing up into the portal. Starscream stayed behind even after it closed, waiting to see what they would say. Darksteel and Skylynx stared uneasily at Predaking, although Starscream was not sure why. All three had just been cold and certain about themselves in front of the Autobot.

Predaking avoided their stares and transformed. After a moment of hesitation, the other two expanded into their own beast forms as well. Starscream was seized by anger and fear to have them standing over him again, to once again see the true faces of his murderers that he had not yet seen since his death. And those hands, large enough to grab him, with the claws cleared of blood that were not truly clean in Starscream's eyes.

He bet that Predaking had not wanted to show off his murdering body, and that was why he had waited for Bumblebee to leave. Starscream again wasn't exactly sure why though, if Predaking had been so adamant that he was not in the wrong. Then again, the Predacons had not shown Shockwave either, and Predaking had sometimes seemed uncomfortable revealing his marks.

_Oh_, Starscream sneered. _Are you somewhat aware of your dirty deed? Are you starting to realize just what savage animals you really are? I hope that knowledge eats you up inside, and you feel ashamed whenever you transform into your true form._

Predaking, apparently, did not know where Iacon was but had started to fly off in the direction of the Well of Allsparks. Starscream stood and guffawed, hating the blind arrogance of Predaking. Skylynx and Darksteel, who had been taught about regions from Shockwave when scavenging for fossils, had to figure out how to correct his flight path and get him to follow them.

"Fools," he uttered. "It's no wonder you went extinct."

Starscream returned to his body on board the warship, looking over its ragged state. He was too disgusted at the moment to listen to anyone else speaking, and he was eager to get on with trying to figure out a way to return or become stronger. He wondered if someone would come and repair him before his funeral, so that he would be proper. If they repaired him, reconnecting everything and sealing the holes, would it be possible for him to reenter his body?

Starscream clutched his chin and pondered. His body would be perfectly functional, spark chamber empty and waiting. Most bots who died likely went to the Allspark before they could be repaired, but maybe staying behind could be a good thing. Was his spark too weak now, or would it work? Starscream imagined that Knockout or Ratchet might fix him, and then he could fly into his body, wake up, and startle them. The innocent thought did put a smile on his face. How fun it would be to accuse them all, rubbing it into their faces that he had heard everything they had said.

Starscream jolted when a vehicon popped into the room, glanced at his body, then hurried out. His eyebrows wrinkled and he followed him, finding him now jabbering to other vehicons. They stopped working for a moment, looking over their shoulders for Autobots.

"I just saw his body," he whispered in a hushed tone. "He's all shredded up."

The other vehicons snuck away one-by-one to have their own peeks at him. Starscream was now seeing a side to the vehicons that he had only slightly been aware of before: they were horrible gossipers. That was the result of having no hobbies; they were always talking amongst themselves and tossing around juicy pieces of news. And seizing their chances, they wanted to check him out for future bragging rights. He glared as they walked in and out, and his shoulders rose when they came too close for comfort.

They skittered down the hall and dragged more vehicons into it, replacing them where they had been working. The Autobots couldn't tell that they had been switched, and they kept watch for each other. Two dared enter, chuckling at what was the most mischievous thing they had ever done. Assuming they were laughing at him, Starscream burned with anger. When one vehicon slid up and poked him, he yelped. Starscream tried to grab him and pull him away, but his hands went through him. The vehicons hopped away back into the hall, shaking with mirth.

"I just touched him," he wheezed to others.

"What?" they laughed. "Why?"

"I don't know, when else are you going to get the chance!"

Starscream stood rigid in the hall, quivering in rage."Idiotic troopers, how is any of this humorous?"

A vehicon snuck back into the room, eager to do the same thing so that he could also brag. As he stepped closer to Starscream's body though, he noticed the container of his collected parts. The vehicon plunged his hand into it, snatched a small shard of metal, then trotted out. Starscream's eyes shot wide with horror as the vehicon tossed the scrap of a wingtip into his chest and escaped with the body part.

"No! How _dare_ you?" Starscream shrieked. He tore after the vehicon, who had emerged just at the right time. Footsteps were approaching, and vehicons were frantically waving at each other. The thief blended into the others, but Starscream kept his eyes firmly held on the one with his wingtip. Ratchet came around the corner, finding the workers welding the walls and pounding in dents, and he ignored them on his way back to Ultra Magnus.

With Ratchet within earshot, the vehicon thief did not dare show off his prize yet. Starscream swirled around him, his fury rising.

"Put it _back_!" he barked in his face. His raised his claws, then curled them into a shaking fist. It wasn't going to work, he told himself. But how he wanted to rip out his eye and throat for this. All his wrath from the Predacons, Shockwave, and the Autobots was building up. Disrespect and apathy from all directions, bombarding him and drowning out his sorrow. Before, he had been focused on returning to life and having revenge. But now, revenge was seeming much more important.

"I am going to kill you," Starscream said in a wavering hiss. "I am not going to let you out of my sights until I find a way to."

The darkness from before was taking a hold of him in his determination. It was no longer that he _wanted_ to hurt and kill, but that he _would_. It was the extra step that meant a world a difference. His flashes of rage were turning into a steady, calmer flow of hate. Finally, he was no longer racing from one place to the next without true purpose. Starscream had a plan now, less vague than the last, and how he did love in life to stick to plans to their fruitful ends.

That vehicon was going to regret stealing that body part for himself, to laugh about and show off to others. Starscream was going to touch him, harm and scare him, and force him to spread the message. Then, Starscream was going to kill him.

He watched the vehicon carry on work, staring at him until a purple light began to replace the red of Starscream's eyes. His metal too, began to adopt a purplish tinge until it radiated curls of dark vapour. Only then did Starscream notice, and he raised up his arm to smile at it.

Something was happening- a welcome change, when before he had been so helpless and weak. Strength was coming to him as he thought on repeat, _I will have my revenge._

"No one believes that my death meant anything," Starscream drawled while opening and closing his clawed fingers. The purple vapour floated off his fist and fingertips, but did not disappear. It seemed attracted to him, curling around and returning to his spirit each time.

The vehicon did not hear him.

"Perhaps Knockout did. I might spare him, but then again…" Starscream then snapped suddenly, his voice adopting an eerie distortion. "There were times where he was a horrible _wretch_! Let us see if he deserves to live..."

Starscream stood alongside the vehicon, leaning in close to his still face. "I know that you do not. In fact, I should just kill all you miserable, useless vehicon troopers. You first, and then Predaking, Skylynx, Darksteel..." Each name was spat out quicker with the sharpness of a blade. "Megatron! Shockwave! Bumblebee! Bulkhead, Arcee, Ratchet, Ultra Magnus, Wheeljack- Ah, and Optimus of course, whenever he returns! Oh, and that meddlesome Smokescreen, for making a fool of me in life!"

He was fond of having this list to cling onto.

"All the Predacons, including the new one, will cease to exist. Such a repulsive race deserves to be eradicated! And Megatron, for all the abuse he dealt me! Oh, how I will make him squirm and beg for me to cease tormenting him…!" Starscream chuckled a chilling laugh. "I will kill them all, and they won't be able to stop me! Then as their confused and frightened sparks rise, I will tear them to pieces- and erase them from existence forever!"

The idea filled him with such delight that had could not resist letting out a maniacal laugh. He wrapped his purple-tinged hands around the vehicon's face and slowly tried to drag his fingers, to rip the metal. Still, he could not find the strength to break through and scratch him. Yet the longer he stayed in the vicinity of the vehicon with his purple mist enveloping him, the more nauseous the vehicon began to feel.

He wobbled back, touching his head. Starscream smiled in surprise and pursued him. Weak as he was, the dark energon tainting his spark was draining the vehicon's strength. The vehicon tried to continue working, but his movements became groggy as Starscream continued to cling to his head. This was not as satisfying as clawing him and it took patience, but after an hour of this, the vehicon dropped his tool and fell onto his knees.

"Yes." Starscream chuckled. "_Yes_."

The others vehicons jumped and rushed to him, checking him over and helping him to his feet. Ratchet looked out into the hall after hearing the clang, then he saw the vehicon with the drooped head being supported by the others.

"I'm fine," the vehicon murmured. "Just exhausted.'

Ratchet padded back into the med bay, but Starscream heard his voice faintly telling the Autobots that the vehicons ought to be given a rest now. Soon enough, Bulkhead walked over and told all the vehicons that they could go fuel up and recharge for the night. Tomorrow, they could get fresh air out on the construction site. The relieved vehicons trudged away; there was a living quarters built in Iacon to contain them with small rooms and individual berths. Starscream stalked after them with another devilish idea on his mind. He released the vehicon, letting him regain enough strength for the journey.

All the vehicons on the _Nemesis_ returned to Iacon with Bulkhead escorting them. None of them gave them trouble, all too eager to unwind and lie down in the warmth during the cold nights. Starscream could see how content they all were, and it sickened him. They must have loved the Autobots who had given them this freedom and pleasure. There was a lounge area on the ground floor, with the atmosphere of a bar but without the drinks. Vehicons sat or slouched against walls, talking and relaxing.

The vehicons of the _Nemesis_ were absolutely eager to bust in, disrupt the calm, and spill their news. They burst into the room, calling, "Starscream's dead!"

Many identical faces turned to them in surprise.

"The Predacons tore him apart! He sent a distress signal and the Autobots followed it to his body!"

"Right, and the Autobots even talked to them about it!"

"I saw them carry the body by right by me!"

"We went and checked it out ourselves," another chuckled. "When the Autobots weren't around."

"That's nothing." A jet vehicon stood up as tall as he could. "I touched it!"

Starscream had preemptively grabbed the head of the thief vehicon. "_Don't you dare_," he hissed.

The nausea was returning, but the fatigued vehicon just had to have his moment of recognition. He opened his chest and held up the wingtip, boasting, "Well _I_ stole this!"

The vehicons collectively gasped and rushed him to touch the wingtip then pass it around. Starscream shrieked and clawed to no avail, losing strength from his lack of concentration. The impressed vehicons rubbed their fingers all over the damaged end and the smooth spike of the tip, and some even raised it up in a victorious gesture. Starscream tried to control his temper, to find a way to stop them. The purple tinge was fading in his dismay, and he tried to gather it back.

"They will pay," he told himself. "I will kill them. I will have my revenge, I _will_!"

There the darkness was, returning. He turned on the automobile vehicon thief, who was watching with a puffed chest. Starscream grabbed his face and pressed his fingers in, once again driving in the slow poison of the dark energon. The vehicon began to sag, but eventually got back the wingtip and stored it away. He soaked up the praise for his accomplishment as he shuffled toward the elevators.

"You just going to keep that?" someone asked.

"Yeah, why not?" he replied. "Neat souvenir, don't you think? Just don't tell the Autobots."

_Souvenir?!_

The dark energon flared like hungry flames. The vehicon entered the elevator alone, or at least he thought so. The ghost drifted in after him. When the elevator began to ascend, Starscream became aware of floors. He had never really been walking on them, just floating over them as if he were. He controlled himself and rose upwards with the elevator, staying right behind the vehicon. The tired trooper stretched and stared forward at the shiny doors of the elevator, waiting for them to open on his floor. Just before he arrived, however, he peered closely at the metal. It almost looked like there was a black and purple shadow behind him. But then, the doors opened and took away this image. The vehicon stepped out, decided to glance over his shoulder, but saw nothing now but the bright, silver shine of the empty elevator. He assumed then that he must have only seen the warped reflection of his purple self, then carried on, shaking his head.

He padded along toward his room, not noticing that something dark was creeping down the side of the hall after him. After unlocking the door, the vehicon flicked on the light and plopped Starscream's wingtip onto a shelf. Something lingered by the door after it closed automatically, in the corner where light did not fully reach. It turned and watched the unaware vehicon push the switch again to turn off the light.

The figure vanished mostly, but not completely. There was still a patch that remained, darker than the room's own blackness. It moved forward when the vehicon flopped onto the berth. As the light in the vehicon's eye powered off, it leaned over the prone body and reached its claws into his chest. The shadow felt for the light of the living spark, grasping it tightly in its hands until both it and the light were temporarily one.

_The vehicon's dream was immediately drenched in a darkness like oily, black paint. He was standing in the overly shadowed room of the _Nemesis_, staring over Starscream's body. The memory of his deed was being forced to the front of his mind, but now the room and objects were deranged and distorted. Dark movement slid past his vision, but when he looked, there was nothing there. The vehicon moved forward with anxious steps, toward the container of the body parts. Once again, he reached inside to take hold of the tip of Starscream's wing._

_He grasped it and turned, only to nearly crash into the now standing corpse. The vehicon stumbled back and dropped the wingtip of the dream, choking in fright. The torn body shuffled after him, buckling a step from its broken knee. Then the vehicon hit a wall as Starscream closed in, so realistically detailed unlike the rest of the room or any dream he had ever had before. Every line and curve of his broken body could be seen, and the dark holes and tubes dripped energon as he moved._

_Starscream's dead hands grasped the vehicon's throat, and his cut face leaned in close to his._

"Put. It. _Back_."

The vehicon jolted awake, and his scream echoed throughout the halls.


	5. Shadow

Other vehicons had dashed out of their rooms at the sound of the horrible scream. The closest trooper was immediately bowled over when a frantic, purple force struck him. Both vehicons hit the floor, however the thief was already crawling over the other to get away. Everyone looked past him in anxiety, but no murderous bot charged out of the room after him. Instead, the door slid peacefully shut.

The vehicons grasped onto the terrified one, trying to calm him enough to get answers from him.

"What happened?"

The vehicon jerked, looked back, and ceased struggling so hard. But in a frightened whisper, he stammered, "St-S-Starscream…"

These vehicons had been recharging and knew nothing. "Starscream? Is he in there?"

The vehicon babbled incomprehensible words, but he was nodding furiously. The others looked to each other.

A vehicon murmured, "We should contact the Autobots. I don't think we could capture him on our own."

"What is he doing here?" another asked.

The terrified vehicon thief quaked. "N-n-n-no, he's, he's…. d-d-dea…"

"What?"

"G-ghost," he croaked. "Th-the wi-wing…."

"What is your malfunction? You aren't making any sense."

"Is he dead in there?"

A vehicon decided, "I'm calling the _Nemesis_."

Starscream had remained unseen and unfelt among the vehicons. In truth, he was so pleased with his creativity in terrifying the vehicon that it was hard to stay furious. The purple aura had disappeared as he grinned and started to form an amusing and vengeful plan on the spot.

The other vehicons thought that one was insane, and it was delightful. Yes, what if he did not assert himself powerfully and immediately, but slowly tortured their sanity? Everyone's sanity? He probably had quite a long time to work with, so why not drag out their suffering? He could appear and haunt some vehicons to make them spread rumors. Let the Autobots catch wind of it, think the troopers were crazy. Naturally, do the same to the Predacons. Give them glimpses of him in dreams or in reflections, then vanish when they try to get a proper look.

And then, he could terrorize the vehicons so much that they would not stop pestering the Autobots. Get the Predacons anxious as well. Then, Starscream could start plaguing one or two Autobots to make them question their teammates' sanity. Eventually start haunting all of them to make them begin to fear the truth. Proceed to harm them, just a little. Let them realize that he could be anywhere, and there was nothing they could do. After, he would start killing them one-by-one. Save the best ones for last: Megatron and the Predacons, so that they felt overwhelmingly terrified and helpless knowing that Starscream was coming.

Smokescreen answered, "Oh, er- hello?"

The vehicon reported, "There is a situation in the Iaconian residence, floor twenty, room seven… Someone's saying that Starscream is here."

There was silence on the other end. The vehicon thought there might be a connection problem, so he said, "Did you copy that?"

"Uh, yeah but…"

Starscream chuckled darkly.

"... that's impossible," Smokescreen said.

The thief vehicon saw an opportunity to free himself. He grabbed onto the speaking vehicon so that the Autobot would hear him. "The wing!" he gasped. "Y-you have to take it back! H-he's after me… h-h-his ghost!"

"What? What are you talking about?"

The vehicon tried to repeat himself, but Smokescreen decided he ought to come over himself to make sense of this. Several minutes passed, in which Smokescreen was probably struggling to explain why and where he was going to another Autobot. Starscream watched the vehicons hold the thief there, refusing to let him run off before Smokescreen came.

In the end, Smokescreen arrived alone. He knew that it was impossible that Starscream could actually be here, alive and in need of capture. Not when his torn body was still lying in a _Nemesis_ room. Smokescreen arrived by the elevator, not teleporting directly here as in an emergency. His face was scrunched up in confusion as he approached the assembled vehicons.

"Alright, guys, what is going on?"

One vehicon was clearly in distress and being restrained. Smokescreen knew it was the one who had made the outburst over the call, so he asked him, "You said something about a wing and, um, a ghost?"

He nodded weakly. Smokescreen hoisted up the scared vehicon properly onto his feet and headed toward the supposedly haunted room. To Starscream's pleasure, Smokescreen's steps became uncertain as he witnessed the vehicon's sheer terror. The young bot was not as rejecting as the others would have been. Arcee or Ratchet would have scoffed, but Smokescreen was not strong enough to avoid the doubt of _What if he is right?_.

The vehicon shakily punched in the code to unlock his door. Once it opened, he jumped back, but Smokescreen stepped in and hit the lights. His blue eyes quickly scanned the room, and he relaxed when he saw no sign of Starscream, living or dead. The room was quite bare, empty save for a shelf with a piece of metal on it. But upon seeing the metal, Smokescreen walked closer, eyes shooting wide-open when he realized what it was.

Smokescreen snatched Starscream's wingtip and whirled on the vehicon. "You _stole_ this?"

The vehicon was speechless.

"What is wrong with you? Why would you do that?"

Explaining that it had been an attention-seeking move would certainly not go well with the Autobot. The vehicon only whined, "Please, take it back. I am very sorry. It was a mistake."

"Did you or any other vehicon take anything else?"

The vehicon shook his head.

"You really should be punished for this," Smokescreen said. "We might let you off this time, but know that we know where you live. Get into trouble again..."

The vehicon nodded.

Smokescreen sighed and marched past him, already calling the other Autobots to report what he believed to be a serious situation. He wanted to be responsible, showing that even he knew how unacceptable this was.

"You are not going to believe this," he started, unaware of Starscream trailing him.

Ratchet grumbled back, "What I don't believe is that you just woke me from my power down. What is it?"

Smokescreen exclaimed, "One of the troopers stole a piece of Starscream behind our backs!"

Everyone chorused, "_What_?"

"Yeah, I've got it now, but seriously, I had _no_ idea that they were like that. I thought these guys were all obedient. I mean, with Megatron as a leader you would think-"

Arcee said, "Right. If we can't trust them, then we're going to need to set up cameras there."

"I agree," Bumblebee said. "We're going to need to start surveilling them."

_Cameras!_ Starscream smiled.

"We can't leave them unsupervised. Not anymore," Bumblebee went on. "Especially not on the _Nemesis _or around Starscream. If they could do this behind our backs, they might do worse. They might even get their hands on a relic."

Smokescreen was bridged back by Bumblebee at the command. It did not seem like Smokescreen had tried explaining the ghost report to him before, because it was not even asked about. Bumblebee only sighed disapprovingly at what he saw Smokescreen returning with. There was no way to justify it; Smokescreen pulled his mouth to the side, raised his eyebrows, and shrugged. Then, Starscream followed Smokescreen back to his body.

When they returned to the room, Knockout was up and hunched over Starscream's body. Starscream himself paused, noticing how Knockout had expertly closed the cuts on his face so well that one could barely see the lines. After all the hatred that had been flaming inside him, Starscream was shocked still by sudden warmth. Knockout didn't need to be cutting into his recharge cycle for this, but now he was working so carefully to repair him.

_Can he not bear to see me this way?_

Knockout turned at the sound of a visitor. His eyes immediately noticed the wingtip in Smokescreen's hands.

"Did you find that?"

"No… more like, recovered it." Smokescreen walked over to the bin of parts. "Apparently, a vehicon stole it."

"What?"

"Yeah, really. Did you know they were so disobedient?"

"Honestly," Knockout said. "No. I never noticed anything like that. They just did what they were supposed to."

Knockout's eyes relaxed when the piece was placed back. He asked, "You don't think they took anything else?"

"Nah. Said they didn't, just that."

"I suppose I will find out…" Knockout looked at the body. "...in the end."

Smokescreen's voice dropped, softer and less casual. "You're doing a good thing, doc. It's really nice that you're fixing him up. I'm sure he would appreciate it."

Knockout sighed, "I'd like to think so too."

"I… I hope everything's there now," he added while stepping back. It was too awkward to say any more, so Smokescreen popped out and left him in peace.

Starscream slowly walked closer, then sat himself down beside him. Knockout turned back with the tool in his hand, something with a superheated, fine point for the most precise welds. There was also an entire assortment of other tools around Knockout, for popping up dents and stapling together the gaping wounds. Starscream's eyes darted from his body, the tools, to Knockout's expression. Mostly, his face was blank as he concentrated, but a sadness lingered in his eyes.

Starscream decided at that moment, that no matter how much he was going to torture the others, he was going to leave Knockout alone.

He then wondered if he should bother with hurting Smokescreen. After all, he had not really done much to slight him in life. Perhaps he was an irritating hotshot, but his disgust with the vehicon and his words to Knockout now made his hatred soften. Starscream even remembered how uncomfortable Smokescreen had been the first time he had seen his body.

_I suppose he isn't worth the effort… _he told himself. Maybe he would just scare him a little, but killing Smokescreen- his spark just wasn't into that idea.

Starscream's chest still had the gaping scratches from Darksteel's claws. The metal had been pressed in, and Knockout had to pull the metal back up, staple it in place, then begin welding downwards. As he went along, he would pull out the staples and close the little holes they had made. Starscream watched, swimming in joy and grief, by how cleanly he repaired the cuts. Had Starscream been dealt with such a task, he wouldn't have thought it possible to make it look like he had never been hurt. But that was exactly what Knockout was doing.

Lingering on Knockout's words to Smokescreen, he leaned close to him and tried to say, "Knockout, I _do_ appreciate it."

He hoped that weak though he was, Knockout would have still heard a little whisper by his head. Yet he heard nothing and ignorantly worked on. Starscream's spark throbbed with the desire to be heard, but no matter how many times he repeated himself more and more firmly, he could not make himself audible. Doubt swirled within him; he remembered how Shockwave could not hear him, and Starscream was starting to think that only his fury and using the dark energon tainting his spark could give him enough power.

Starscream sighed, then hesitantly reached out his hand. He wondered if he could connect with his spark, but he was worried about failure or hurting Knockout. His hand passed through his body, feeling the burning-hot warmth of his light. It did not hurt to touch it, but Starscream felt so weak in the face of the power of a living spark. Its brilliance and strength was so prominent that Starscream realized that no, there was no way he could directly hurt Knockout's spark. It was far too strong for his extinguished one.

_Knockout?_

Knockout shivered at the touch, feeling suddenly colder. But he still did not hear him. With the resting vehicon, his mind had nearly fully shut down, so only then had Starscream had been noticed tampering with his spark. But now, Knockout was using his mind too much. He could not hear Starscream now, even as he tried to speak through his spark.

Starscream did not understand this, however, and assumed again that it was only his powerlessness without dark energon. He sighed heavily and withdrew. Now, he started thinking about another topic. If Knockout repaired him perfectly, and he could come back, should he right away? Or should he take advantage of his intangibility and figure out how to use the dark energon to kill his enemies first?

Starscream fantasized himself popping up and flinging himself into Knockout, thanking him for saving him. But, even if it was possible to return, what kind of world would he come back to? The Predacons were still out there, uncaring Autobots, and Megatron. He did not want to live in a world with them, unable to act upon his desire for revenge. Maybe the Predacons were satisfied enough to not attack him again, but his hatred of them would be unbearable to live with. Now was the only time he was untouchable. Kill them, and then he would never have to think about them again.

The night was long, but Knockout was persistent. Starscream sat, holding his knees while watching himself be put together like a puzzle with damaged pieces. Knockout dug through the bloody bin and found his shoulder pieces, then sat with them in his lap, fixing them before re-attaching them to the body. The same was done for his legs and arms. In a pile, Knockout gathered the bits of his wings, but he couldn't turn him over yet. Starscream could see that he wanted to, probably thinking about how precious his wings were to him. Knockout had taken his shoulder and started to turn him, but then the sheet over his gut slid and things started to spill out.

He stopped immediately and sighed. The ravaged abdomen was the hardest part that he had not gotten to yet. Knockout slumped in exhaustion, but he took off the cover and stared, trying to figure out where to begin. He checked to make sure all his organs were there- and they were, but they were all crushed and torn. Knockout raised one of them carefully to begin working on fixing its shape. Soon after though, he could take no more. Too fatigued to concentrate any longer, he covered up Starscream's abdomen again and stood up.

Everything, the tools and the piles, was left in the open as he wandered out. With his hands bloody, Knockout strode into the adjacent med bay. Ratchet was more encouraged now to guard Ultra Magnus after the vehicon thief incident, and he was there now speaking with Wheeljack. The repaired Immobilizer was being twirled in Wheeljack's hands, but he stopped when they noticed Knockout. They didn't say a word or reveal a particular emotion as he washed off his hands in oil. Knockout had simply come, then left.

Someone had to keep an eye on the body, and it seemed Knockout had undertaken the responsibility. Still, Starscream was shocked to see a bot like Knockout sit, lean against the wall, and decide it was good enough to sleep against. There was no reason for him to fear recharging in the same room as him- Starscream hadn't given him one, but he was rather glad that Knockout wasn't put off by being next to a body.

When Starscream thought about the time, he jolted. He hurried outside, phasing through the walls, then saw that it was past dawn. The Predacons would be at work by now. Starscream clenched his fists, remembering his fury from the discussion between Bumblebee and the Predacons. _Peace between the races! A chance to help repair their shared planet!_ It was all so sickeningly sweet, just smiles over his corpse. Instead of punishing them or reprimanding them, the Autobots had just let the murderers join them.

In an instant, Starscream was in Iacon. He floated down from the sky, landing upon a building under construction. It took no time to find the awkward shapes of the larger Predacons. They were all together, fumbling under Bumblebee's guidance to learn how to use the welding tools.

"Stupid creatures," Starscream hissed. He came closer, touching down silently on the ground beside Bumblebee. Just the sight of the Predacons caused his body to adopt the purple glow.

_How can everyone act so normally?_ Starscream thought. _How is it that only Knockout seems to realize that I died just _yesterday_? This is preposterous! _

Skylynx dropped something and cringed at the bang. Vehicons above looked down, and Starscream growled, "This will never work. These clumsy beasts only know how to destroy. Building or creating anything is against their nature."

He remembered all the times the two clones had been a nuisance in Shockwave's labs. They had never been helpful in anything else but fighting and tracking, so they had sent them out as often as possible.

Starscream paced, impatiently waiting for the Predacons to be separated. Even if they would work in the same area, at some point they would be caught up carrying things in different directions. Bumblebee led them off, suggesting that they help the vehicons carry the heavier things. What he didn't want to say, was that the Predacons were going to have to listen to them because of their lack of experience. It was important that the Predacons thought they were equals, not subordinates of the Autobots- and Primus forbid it- subordinates of vehicons.

Fortunately, the Predacons were not offended. Something was different today, and Bumblebee also seemed aware of their silence and fatigue.

"Of course, if you would rather take the day off for a well-deserved rest," Bumblebee said, "you are more than welcome to."

_Well-deserved?_ Starscream scoffed. _And what exactly did they do? I had the impression that it was Optimus who really saved the day!_

"No," Predaking answered, too quickly for Starscream's liking. "We are fine."

Bumblebee backed off to watch them observe the vehicons and try to copy them. A crane was lifting up beams for two separate projects, and the other workers were bolting them in place. The Predacons headed up, squeezing barely into the scaffolding and having some issues coming up the stair steps too small for their feet. Starscream would have only rolled his eyes if he were alive, but he was too upset that these _fools_ had been the ones who had killed him. At least if Megatron had killed him, he would have been spared this embarrassment.

He kept close to Predaking, eyes narrowed and purple as he let the toxicity of the dark energon slowly wear on him. It was not an immediate effect, he knew, but it was better this way. In the dimness of exhaustion, Predaking would see him and begin to doubt himself. For now, Predaking did his best, keeping silent and watching the vehicons carefully. He seemed aware of their occasional whispers and glances, his eyebrows would twitch, but Predaking ignored them.

He found himself becoming more and more tired. When he looked around though, Skylynx and Darksteel seemed to be managing just fine. Starscream knew he was starting to regret not taking Bumblebee's offer. Good. He liked seeing Predaking weak, moving slowly and sitting down too long to rest before bolting in something. And what was even better was that no matter how big a bot was, dark energon affected their mind just as equally. The nausea was creeping in, seen as Predaking kept touching his head. His balance too was beginning to sway.

The opportunity came when Predaking came down alone to fetch a fresh container of bolts for the vehicons. Starscream saw where he was heading, then flashed ahead to stand in front of the container where Predaking could not possibly miss him.

Predaking shuffled toward the campsite of random materials all set in the open. The sun hit the metal, casting up light a bit to bright for his tired eyes. As he squinted, however, a shadow fell against the container. He blinked, confused. There was nothing between him or the container that could cast a fresh shadow. Was he really seeing that darkness? He blinked to clear his vision, but there was still an unnatural shade in the bright clearing.

It was also strange, that with the rising sun's light, the shadows were supposed to be slanting. His was, following him at his right side. But the patch was still and upright, sharper and darker than shadows should be. It wasn't bending over the shape of the container either, but acted like an individual object. And the longer Predaking stared, the more bot-like he realized the darkness looked.

His walk slowed. His eyes had started picking out what could be legs, arms, and…

Predaking stopped.

...wings.

His mouth opened. There he stood transfixed, about twenty metres from the shadow. His eyes darted all around its form, spark quickening the more he recognized. The four wings, the body's exact size, the spindly claws… Predaking stepped back and gasped, eyes getting wider.

Then, the shadow moved. Its head jerked, then its body rushed forward. Predaking yelped and stumbled back, but it vanished before his eyes. It was gone so fast that he was left alone, quivering and holding out his hands. He lowered them and looked around himself uneasily.

Had he truly seen what he had thought he had, or had it been a trick of the light and his mind? Had something above him cast that shadow? Predaking looked back and up, but the doubt was written on his face. It was clear that he was wondering if he had imagined everything himself.

_But this will keep happening_, Starscream thought. _You will become less and less certain. Tired or not, you will see me, until the point you begin to wonder if it isn't you. Maybe it is me, because I really am there._

Predaking leaned forward and back, hesitant to approach the container again. As though if he stepped on a certain spot, he would trigger the shadow's return. Eventually he came closer, grabbed the heavy container, and strode quickly out of the area.

Predaking felt his headache fading and he was recovering a bit of energy. Unbeknownst to him, Darksteel was slowly beginning to feel ill and exhausted. He kept dropping the bolts, and eventually, he decided to take a break. He wasn't prideful enough to push through and prove himself. Darksteel went down to the ground to lay back against a wall in the shade. Skylynx noticed instantly and came down to check on him. As he stayed however, he found himself coming down with the same nausea.

They thought resting would help, but really, their conditions only got worse. And the sicker they felt, the more reluctant they were to move. Eventually, Starscream withdrew and willed himself to be seen again. Skylynx and Darksteel sat in confusion and watched a black smudge walk toward them, its shape becoming increasingly more defined. Just as their eyes began to widen, as they wondered, _Wait, that looks like-_ it disappeared.

Darksteel groaned and lay back his head. He was still worse off than Skylynx, but it felt like thin daggers were piercing right into his processor.

When the two were gone for too long, Predaking decided to come down and find them.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked.

"I am not feeling well," Darksteel mumbled. "I am not sure why, just suddenly my head began to ache. And now, I feel too exhausted to continue."

"It was the same for me," Skylynx said.

Predaking's eyes widened. He had experienced the exact phenomenon, only he did not admit it.

"In that case, we should accept the Autobot's offer. We could rest, and return after we have collected the last Predacon clone."

Starscream noted how strangely Predaking spoke, pausing unnaturally in some places. He wondered what exactly was on his mind, if he was still thinking of the shadow he had seen.

"Yeah…" Darksteel murmured. "That would be good."

Bumblebee had not wanted to stand around all day when he could at least make himself useful. He had taken over one of the cranes, where he could also keep on eye on everything from above. He could see the Predacons wandering around below, clearly looking for him. Bumblebee had come down himself to meet with them.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

Predaking said, "Darksteel and Skylynx are too unwell to work. We will return in a few solar cycles."

"Is there anything we can do for you? Maybe some processed energon would help. I am not sure what you were surviving off when you were alone, Predaking, but I assume you drank from the naturally rising pools."

"Is there an issue with that?" Predaking asked.

"It is not the healthiest, so to say," Bumblebee answered. "Contaminants, change in chemical structure when exposed to the air… Even for us, it is better to consume the processed stuff. For your kind, it is probably more important."

His voice became a bit sharp. "What do you mean by that?"

"I meant no offense. Only that Predacons… have more difficulty processing raw energon."

The unsaid words, that Predacons in the past drank the blood of other living things because of this, was like static in the air.

Skylynx and Darksteel seemed confused about why Predaking was getting off topic. They, rather, had brightened at the idea of free energon. The last time they had been given any was from Shockwave.

"It would be great to take some with us, would it not?" Skylynx looked at Predaking for approval.

Skylynx's head was blemished with scratches and he looked so drained; Darksteel hardly looked any better. But there was a bit of hope in their eyes at the idea of fresh fuel and a long rest. Reluctantly, Predaking agreed, but only if the energon was brought to them right here. Vehicons on the warship were made to help transport out some cubes, leaving them a pile to choose from themselves. The Predacons were in the sights of Bumblebee and a hundred other vehicons, but this time, they did not hesitate. All three transformed and rose on all fours over Bumblebee, and the sounds of construction came to a gradual stop.

Vehicons glanced over and whispered to each other. Those close enough to see the scratches and burn on Predaking's chest pointed. Bumblebee could not help but back off a few steps, stunned by their sizes he had forgotten. Their heads and eyes were huge enough, but their teeth were as long as his hands. Starscream could see what Bumblebee was thinking: he was imagining how Starscream had just been in their jaws, and he was thinking that those three heads could just as easily dive down onto him now.

Predaking could tell what Bumblebee was thinking too, and he did not seem to like it. He narrowed his eyes, then swept his attention onto the energon. The Predacons ignored everyone, stabbing their claws into the cubes so that they could carry one in each foot. Predaking and Darksteel's larger mouths grabbed extras, then they opened their wings. Bumblebee jogged back before the gusts of wind threatened to sweep him off his feet, and Vehicons flinched nervously when the Predacons tore by them.

Starscream followed them to see what they would do or say once they were alone. A bit far from Iacon, he learned that the three Predacons settled in a random plain with rising plates of metal that formed natural dens. The Predacons shoved their loads into one of them, then dragged out single cubes for themselves.

Starscream's face twisted in disgust. _How primal. _So the beasts had rejected modern housing to live out in the open like animals. He was even more upset when they stayed in their beast forms, and Skylynx began to gnaw on one of the cubes as he was. He gulped down the shavings, but some fell down around him. Darksteel began to peck and claw off chunks to swallow down his wide gullet. Starscream sneered in revulsion, then glared at Predaking. His eyes were locked on its blueness, eyebrows wrinkled, but then he began to bite into it.

Starscream sighed hotly, unable to watch. If they weren't going to transform and talk like civilized bots, and most importantly about him, then there was no point in watching their messy eating. He zipped back to the _Nemesis_, wondering if Knockout had woken up for any reason and had continued working on this body. A hopeful thought, he knew, but he was craving some comfort.

When he arrived to the room however, comfort was the last thing he got. There was an unexpected crowd and tension in the room with his body. Knockout was standing with Smokescreen, looking speechless while Arcee and Ratchet glared coldly at Megatron. Starscream went automatically stiff with shock at the sight of him, but his massive shape was truly there, bent over his corpse and examining the darkness in his eyes. At the same time, Megatron was lifting off the metal cover to see the damage that had not been repaired.

The act would have sent Starscream into a rage, but there was something even more shocking than Megatron in the room. As Megatron was so large and easily pulled his attention, Starscream had at initially missed the other bot behind the rest. First, he saw red movement, then heard a familiar voice.

"'Scream?"

Starscream whirled around, gasped, and leapt back. Cliffjumper walked around the Autobots, striding directly for him.

"N-no! It can't be!" Starscream yelped. "Why are you not already one with the-"

Cliffjumper came too close for his liking, and now Starscream was getting scared. Perhaps Cliffjumper was also bent on revenge, and had his own plans to destroy his spark from existence. Until then, Starscream had thought he would encounter no older spirits, no one who could hurt him.

"Stay back!" Starscream flexed his claws.

"Wow there, easy, easy…" he purred amicably and raised his hands.

But as someone who had lived as a Decepticon, Starscream did not trust such words. This was what someone did before getting close and stabbing their victim. Starscream himself had done such a thing to get near vehicons, to kill them and steal the energon they had been guarding.

Starscream's reaction worsened. His body pricked and tensed, eyes sharpened on Cliffjumper's form to prepare an attack.

"Wait, I'm not here to hurt you." Cliffjumper stopped his advance. Now his eyes were a bit wide, recognizing that a dangerous situation was developing. "Really."

"And why wouldn't you want to?" Starscream hissed eerily. "It _was_ me who killed you."

"I don't want revenge," he replied. "I mean, if you think about it, it wouldn't change anything, right?"

Starscream's own desire to destroy his murderers was so powerful that he simply could not believe him. Cliffjumper, he thought, was trying to trick him, to get close then tear apart his spark to erase him from existence. Starscream's spirit pulsed with suspicion, fear, and anger. No one was going to take his chance at returning to life away from him.

"I'm sorry for startling you," Cliffjumper said. "I mean, it has been a while. Let's start aga…"

Then he noticed Starscream's body darkening and his eyes adopting a purple light like a glint of madness.

"Oh Primus…"

They could not coexist. Starscream would not survive the afterlife if Cliffjumper could sneak up on him at any moment. It was either Cliffjumper or him.

With a cry, he lunged with his claws bared.


	6. The Other Spirit

Cliffjumper leapt back and barely evaded the slash of Starscream's fingers. The assault did not end, and Starscream continued to pursue him as he trotted back. In the end, there was nothing else Cliffjumper could do but sprint from the darkened spirit and run his mouth.

"Okay, so clearly you're trying to kill me because you think _I _want to kill you. It's a rough and confusing time, I mean I get it- it's never easy for anyone, but wow you _really_ are not taking it well. What is wrong with you? What's with the purple?"

Cliffjumper's voice drifted through each wall he burst through with Starscream on his tail. As he spoke, he looked back often since he could not hear footsteps to know how close Starscream was. He made a sound of surprise when he saw Starscream's face right behind him, and he knew he was going to have to speed up. Cliffjumper lifted off the ground and began to float away, but he turned around to face him.

Starscream's eyebrows lifted. Clearly, Cliffjumper was not trying his hardest to flee. Jumping into the free air as well, Starscream soared after him with an arm outstretched. They travelled outside and upwards with Cliffjumper still talking and looking into his eyes.

"Look, I am an Autobot. I'm not going to lie to you. I don't want to hurt you, and I don't even know if I can. When I just died, well _theeen_ I kind of wanted you dead. But look, I've been around for a while, watching everyone, watching you. I don't hate you anymore. Honestly, I'm at peace now, ready to join the Allspark even."

Starscream lowered his arm. Still, he floated after him and muttered, purple eyes narrowed, "What could you possibly have seen that made you forgive your own murderer?"

"When you can go anywhere and can't do anything else but watch, you start seeing different sides to bots. Even those you were close to, like Arcee for me, but especially your enemies. 'Scream, I know everything Megatron did to you. I never knew how bad it was, and now I know that was why my words enraged you back then. I also figured out that a lot of what you did was to prove your worth to Megatron, like killing me or shocking Predaking into listening to you. Because if you weren't useful, you'd get killed, right? I saw you that day. I was with Arcee when she walked in on Megatron with his blaster in your face."

Starscream's body paled. "You saw all of that?"

"I did. I started feeling bad, you know."

"So you pitied me."

"Oh don't be like that. All I mean to say is that when I saw things keep happening to you, as selfish and murderous you were, I still didn't want it to happen. I felt that maybe you wouldn't be so bad if you weren't so concerned about your well-being. A scrap of kindness would have helped, right? You respond well to it. Arcee spared you, and much later, you decided to save her life. You were under no obligation to, and I am still amazed that you did it. I didn't think you would, so thank you. I'll always be grateful for it."

The honest relief in his voice made Starscream suddenly believe everything Cliffjumper had said. His colour faded to normal, and his body was no longer tensed to attack.

"So, 'Screamer, if you're done trying to kill me a second time… would you rather settle down on the ground somewhere to talk instead? I know how hard it is to be alone, no one to talk to, where your thoughts just get more and more destructive. You probably need it, and I have some questions for you as well."

He was right; Starscream admittedly was feeling better to have someone- even a past enemy, who could see and hear him just fine. Though they were floating in their bot forms, Starscream did feel more alive to have another bot to interact with.

"Alright," he sighed.

"That's the spirit."

Cliffjumper floated down to an unimpressive patch of metal. The two sparks had darted so fast across the sky that the _Nemesis_ and the Well of Allsparks were far out of sight. Cliffjumper plopped down and jokingly pat the ground beside him, as though they could feel it. But Starscream was still too wary to sit beside him; instead, he sat in front of him and faced him.

"Must be weird, seeing me in the air." Cliffjumper nodded at the sky. "When I figured out that I was no longer attached to the ground, I gave flying a try. It was cool to see everything from afar, and to travel so fast, faster even than any jet or spacecraft. If only I could have felt any of it though, the wind and wetness of the clouds…"

Starscream nodded slowly. Cliffjumper had encouraged him just the right way so that he would get talking. "Yes, it is not the same at all…"

"You must miss it."

"Of course I do!" Starscream snapped. "It is torturous to see the world you were snatched from, to just so nearly be in it, but be unable to feel anything at all!"

Cliffjumper sighed, "Yes, it is hard. Too hard for most to bear. That is why most just go straight to the Allspark."

"If it is so difficult, then why haven't you just gone already?"

"Ouch, sounds like you want me gone. But alright, fair question. I wanted to make sure my friends survived the end of the War. And honestly, I couldn't stop thinking that the Allspark wasn't releasing new life. I would join it, then what? I wouldn't get reincarnated anytime soon, and I wouldn't get to see what was going on it the world. So I decided to spectate and appreciate my new abilities. I could pop in and see the Decepticons anytime I wanted to! Unfortunately, I could never reveal their plans to the Autobots, as hard as I tried. Yeah, another reason I stuck around was because I was hopeful that I could learn to help them. But I couldn't do a thing, couldn't even stop you from trying to kill Arcee."

"So if you have been around all this time, where have you been since my death?"

"I followed Megatron, curious to see where he would go. He found Shockwave, talked to him about possibly leaving. But then Megatron decided to stick around to help the Autobots fix the damage his war created. But it was tough for him to work up the courage to come back to his enemies and ask to join them. He flew around for a bit, visiting the South and his old haunts. It was absolutely intriguing to watch him. I wish he spoke aloud like you often do, because all I could do was watch his face and try to guess at what he was thinking. Fascinating, really. In such a short amount of time, he has entirely changed. You need to start watching him too to see it."

"Megatron," Starscream growled. "Yes, everyone seems so eager to accept that he has changed in such a ridiculously short time. But I don't believe it. Yes, he may be tired of the war, but there is no kindness in his savage spark. Or perhaps, kindness for only a few. He certainly did not extend it to me, when I tried to be supportive of him after he regained his body. All he did was intimidate me. 'I understand oppression,' he says, before towering over me just like he always did."

"I see your point," Cliffjumper consoled him. "It was too quick for a perfect change. Old habits die hard, so he probably didn't realize what he was doing to you. But you know what, Megatron deserves a chance. He just needs time."

"_I_ deserved a chance! If him, then why not me too?"

"If you had come back to the Autobots and asked to help, I'm sure they might have," Cliffjumper replied. "Terrible circumstances made it not to be though."

"Please," Starscream hissed. "They despise me more than anyone else. They _let _me die."

"How so?"

"They saw the Predacons fly after me, and _no one_ tried to stop them!"

Cliffjumper tried, "Well, with all the ships crashed it wasn't really pos-""

"Optimus can fly! What was his excuse?"

Now Cliffjumper looked a bit stumped. "I'm not sure. But I was still there, Starscream, just for a bit before I chose to follow Megatron. I don't think it was really that obvious that they were going after you. You were already long out of sight by the time they came out from the Well. The Autobots filled them in about what happened, and someone accidentally pointed out that Megatron went one way, you went somewhere else."

Starscream snarled, "Are you meaning to tell me that someone _pointed _the way I had gone right to them? Who did it?"

"It doesn't matter, because it really was not clear what the Predacons wanted to do. And come on, how could they have known they would find you? How could Predacons catch up to a jet? Say the Autobots knew they wanted to kill you, they still would have assumed that you could get away anyway. You can break the speed of sound when you want to, but they can't. Do you see what I'm saying?"

"Who did it?" Starscream repeated.

"So you don't see. Look, I don't want to offend you. When I say that you could have gotten away, it's a compliment. I don't know how they managed to actually catch and kill you, but it was what you did, not the Autobots."

"You are speaking as though it is _my _fault!" Starscream's eyes flared.

"Well, what happened?"

"What _happened_!" Starscream spat at the audacity of the question. "I didn't know I was being followed, so I wasn't travelling at my fastest! I eventually decided to double back and head to Darkmount. They must have been able to hear me, and they caught up to me near the throne. Predaking said they had come to settle scores or something equally as ludicrous, and I made the mistake of trying to speak with them like rational beings. Yes, I made a mistake, but my death was not _my_ fault! They did not have to kill me- no one compelled them to hunt me down! It was all their own choice to kill me, and I did not deserve it at all! You saw my life, and you should know too, Cliffjumper, that I never did anything nearly as horrible to them!"

"You're right, Starscream. You're right," Cliffjumper eased him.

Surprisingly, it worked. He settled down and his shoulders sagged.

"You truly believe so?" Starscream murmured.

"Yes, you did not deserve to die. They went way too far. I know you insulted them, shocked them, but it was nothing more than bullying. They wouldn't have lost anything by letting you go, forgetting about you to live their new lives."

Starscream could not help but feel emotional. Somehow, the bot he had killed was now saying the words he had desperately wanted Shockwave and Bumblebee to say to the Predacons' faces. That is was too cruel and unjust, that the Predacons were so wrong to have slaughtered him. Starscream put his hands over his chest and looked into his eyes.

"You have no idea how awful it was. I only wish it had been as swift as yours. They did not just kill me; they tore me apart, scratching me and ripping off parts of me piece-by-piece. It was terrifying to be surrounded by those beastly faces with those eyes devoid of emotion. As much as I screamed, it was like they could not even hear me."

Cliffjumper heard the wobbling in his words, and let him go on because it really seemed like he needed this. So much to say, so much suffering, but Starscream had been trapped in this realm of silence with no one to listen to him.

"I tried so hard to fight- I hit Predaking with one of my missiles and I scratched and kicked them all, but all my efforts to defend myself only infuriated them further. And it was so hard for me to move, with my body in shock and pouring out energon as it was. They clawed me and threw me, beat me into the ground, and I couldn't do a thing. In the end, Predaking bit into me"-Starscream grasped onto his abdomen- "crushing and perforating my vitals to finish me off. The state you saw my body in was nowhere near as horrible as what it had been when the Autobots found me."

Cliffjumper nodded slowly, for his benefit.

"Knockout has been repairing me, reattaching the pieces that the Autobots had to pick up from the blood that drenched the scene... And let me tell you, my death was so gruesome that I had locked away the memory unconsciously. My processor could not handle the stress, and so I had believed for a moment that I had escaped the Predacons. I was so _relieved_ that I survived, I shook and laughed with joy, only for it all to come crashing down upon me when I discovered my own corpse."

"Yikes," Cliffjumper murmured.

Starscream slouched, but he felt lighter as though some weight had been taken off him.

"I wish none of it had ever happened," Cliffjumper continued. "No one should ever have to experience such a thing."

"I want to make them suffer more than I did," Starscream uttered.

"I know you do," Cliffjumper said softly.

He reached out for Starscream, but Starscream leaned back and looked at Cliffjumper's hands oddly.

"What?" Starscream grumbled.

"Sorry, guess you're not a hugger."

"Why would you want to do such a thing to me?" Starscream muttered. "Considering what I did to you."

"Again, I have already forgiven you. Also, I thought that you might like to experience some kindness for a change."

"An embrace would do nothing to make me feel better," Starscream retorted. "It would not change the fact that I was violently massacred. Spare me any meaningless affection."

"You could have just said 'no thanks', but wow, meaningless? You think affection is meaningless? You sound like no one has ever hugged you in your entire life!"

Starscream rolled his eyes.

Cliffjumper sighed, "Fine, have it your way. Anyway, if you don't mind, I have something to ask you."

"What is it?"

"I have never seen any other spirit turn purple like that, releasing dark energon vapours. I know you used dark energon before, in the past…"

"Using it seems to have tainted my spark, yes," Starscream smirked. "But I am pleased about it."

"Why? Aren't you worried that it will make it difficult to join the Allspark?"

"Join the Allspark! Never! I am not going to." Starscream's wings pricked up again. "I intend to stay here and employ the power of dark energon to have my revenge!"

"I hate to break it to you, 'Scream, but our extinguished sparks are too weak to interact with this world. Trust me. No one I have met, myself included, has been able to even be seen or heard no matter how desperate we were. You have to let it go. Maybe if you calm down, watch the world, all your anger will fade. You might be able to rid yourself of the dark energon if you do, then join the Allspark."

"That is where you are wrong, Cliffjumper." Starscream's eyes shone with cruel glee. "I _can_ interact. All I need to do is become stronger. I can enter and manipulate their dreams, and I have been able to make myself seen, albeit in a rudimentary, obscure form. I am going to make my presence known, and make them suffer for all they did to me."

Shock slapped Cliffjumper's face. "They, they saw you? But that can't be possible..."

A grin spread across his face. "It is."

"But no one has ever been able to! So many Decepticons took dark energon during the War, and yet there has never been a deceased spark able to-"

"You and everyone else would do well to stop underestimating me!" Starscream cried. "I have always known there was something exceptional about me. I could feel that I possessed power inside that deserved to be respected. No one was willing to bow to me in life, to take me seriously and obey me. But now I know that my spark is abnormally strong, not just because of the dark energon tainting it. In one day was I able to accomplish what you and all others were unable to in all of your afterlives!"

"Please, listen." Cliffjumper raised his hands. "I know you want to get back at them, but take it slow. Watch them first, and maybe you will make the same discoveries I once made about you."

"You think there is any reason for me to forgive them?" Starscream snapped. "What happened between me and the Predacons was not the same as what happened between me and you! It was a war, Cliffjumper, and you were a prisoner of the enemy! As for me, the War had just ended and those petty beasts went out of their way to murder me! It is not the same!"

"Okay, alr-"

"Predacons are _not_ like us! They are too primitive to be reasoned with, prone to anger and murderous desires. Oh, I have watched them. I watched them pitilessly explain to everyone that there was nothing wrong with killing me. They don't feel for me at all; rather, the Predacons were most uncomfortable about how the Autobots looked at them. But even that seems to be fading, as the brainless brutes move on and forget all about what they did. Now they are just bumbling about, pathetically attempting to build, and scarfing down energon in their beast-forms in the most revolting manner."

Cliffjumper stared at him, eyebrows raised, temporarily wordless.

"I do not want to hear you compare us again," Starscream hissed. "Do not ever say that the Predacons are forgivable after all I just said to you. I thought you understood, but evidently, you do not. Leave me alone, Cliffjumper. Go join the Allspark if you really are at peace."

Starscream stood up, but Cliffjumper responded instantly, "I'm not going. Not yet, not now."

Spinning on him, Starscream growled, "And why is that?"

"I can't leave you alone like this..." Cliffjumper rose onto his feet as well. "I truly want to help you, Starscream, but I also can't just let you hurt people."

The last words made Starscream blaze with anger. Each time, he didn't need to concentrate as much to make the purple start flaring off his body.

"I am more powerful than you," he uttered. "It will be your last mistake if you try to stop me."

There was no longer fear in his eyes. Starscream stared down Cliffjumper, but he did not move to attack. The urge to kill him was absent after their talk; Cliffjumper had listened and been kind to him, though it was hard to admit. He would rather now that they go their separate ways, but if Starscream had to, he would try to destroy him.

Cliffjumper sighed and dropped his gaze. Satisfied, Starscream leapt up and zipped away, returning to the _Nemesis_ to search for Megatron. He was instantly disappointed when he appeared in the room with his body, and already everyone except Knockout had moved on. He clenched his fists and seethed, unintentionally glaring in Knockout's direction as he worked.

"What's wrong?"

Starscream jumped. There was Cliffjumper, beside him but just out of reach.

"Cliffjumper! Did I not just tell you-"

"Aren't you happy that he is fixing you?"

"Of course I am!" Starscream growled. "I only wished to find Megatron still in here."

"Here? What for?"

He bared his teeth. "But of course, it seems he has already moved on, accepting my death rather quickly..."

"Ohhh," Cliffjumper said. "So you wanted him to be sad and hang around in mourning."

"Why do you sound amused?"

"You want to make them afraid of you and hurt them, but you also want everyone to feel bad for you. I mean that seemed to be one of your griefs with the Predacons- them not feeling guilty. Well, Starscream, you can't have both. They will never like you if you terrorize them."

Starscream stormed away from him. "I don't need him to pity me."

"Why do you keep doing that?" Cliffjumper groaned. "You act like you want people to feel sad, but when they do, you get offended!"

"Be quiet, Cliffjumper!"

"You are a very difficult bot, 'Scream. I don't even think _you_ know what you want."

"Of course I do! I am going to haunt my enemies and teach them the meaning of fear and helplessness. Then, I will terminate them one-by-one."

"But why? Why would that make you feel better?"

Starscream snarled and whirled on him. His purple eyes were harsh as he raked dark energon-misted claws across Cliffjumper's face. Instantly, Cliffjumper recoiled with a cry of pain, backing off a few steps. Starscream paused, watching with interest to see what the result would be.

For a moment, it looked like Cliffjumper had dimmed. Then, his brightness returned as he lifted his head. There were no marks where there should have been, not even a drop of energon. But the pain and worry about what would happen had been real; Cliffjumper gazed at him warily, and Starscream grew smug that he had finally shut him up.

"Let that be a warning." Starscream glared, before vanishing the next second.

First, he investigated the front of the warship, but it seemed that Megatron had already been sent off to join one of the construction efforts. Earlier today it had been Predacons, and now to replace them, his former leader and abuser. Starscream had the sense that out of the different construction projects, however, Megatron was going to choose the one in Kaon.

Since Starscream and Shockwave had fled from the _Nemesis_, the Autobots had begun rebuilding the north and south capitals. As a gladiator hailing from the southern slums, Megatron probably wanted to see his homeland repaired to be better than what it had been before. Starscream zipped across the planet and immediately started scanning the workers below. It became quickly clear where Megatron was based on how a whole area of workers behaved. Vehicons were unsteady and slow-working, continuously looking down. When Starscream descended, he finally spotted Megatron's hulking form doing the heavy-lifting for some uneasy troopers.

As helpful as he wanted to be, absolutely no one wanted him there. Bulkhead and Smokescreen stared, as though nervous that at any moment, Megatron was going to cry out, rally the vehicons, and attack the lone Autobots. But the vehicons themselves had chosen to be Autobots and were quite happy with their current lives. They wanted to distance themselves as much as possible from Megatron, drifting away like faint clouds when he walked by. Megatron was a symbol of Decepticonness, and no one wanted to be seen close to him and perceived as sympathizers.

If Megatron was upset with the betrayal of the vehicons, he did not show it. Starscream landed at ground level, turning his head stiffly to watch him pass by. He had no idea what Cliffjumper had meant by interesting expressions, when Megatron's face was now as blank as could be. His mouth was a straight line, and his eyes pointed only forward in one direction.

_You just returned from the dead!_ Starscream quaked in rage. _If I came back from the dead and was tasked with a team to repair Vos, I would be screaming with joy! How can you be so ungrateful? I would do anything to trade places with you, easily bearing the judgement of others just to feel that metal ground you walk upon again!_

He could not help it. Rage boiling over, he hollered and slashed Megatron's legs. Unlike how it had been with Cliffjumper's spark, however, Starscream was unable to hurt him. His fingers passed through Megatron's metal as he strode away, oblivious. Rushing after him up the scaffolding, Starscream clawed left and right with the same ineffectiveness as when he had tried to scratch the Predacons. With a shriek of ire, he floated up and snatched Megatron's head, but no matter how he drove each finger into Megatron's processor, he did not react. Megatron's tolerance for dark energon was so extremely high that he did not notice Starscream.

Now, Megatron had never really learned how to construct anything in his life. Not with proper tools and math anyway, so he was focusing on being the one to supply others with materials. He would try to ask workers what they needed, but they would tense up and give no answer. All that Megatron could do was look at what they were using, then go up and down the stairs to place the materials beside them. Despite the vehicons' alienation of him, Megatron did seem to be getting much done and speeding along the work effort. He just stopped talking entirely, providing for each level.

Starscream let go of Megatron and screamed with frustration. The dark energon was supposed to give him more power, but what if Megatron was just too strong for him? What if he could not manipulate Megatron's spark and dreams or sicken him? Megatron had faced much worse than him, holding _Unicron _himself in his body and likely trying to fight him off. Both his body and mind would be trained to fight off Starscream's tainted spirit.

"No, you will perish! I _will_ make you suffer, Megatron! I will!"

"By the Allspark, calm down!"

Starscream flung himself at Cliffjumper. "_How_ do you keep finding me?"

Cliffjumper rushed away, but Starscream was too keen on hurting Megatron to chase after him. The darkened spirit halted at the edge of the building and glared, trembling, at the floating Cliffjumper.

"Well, it was obvious that you were going after him." Cliffjumper shrugged. "So I figured Kaon. But hey, I still want to talk. Didn't tell you everything, like how Megatron reacted when he heard you were dead. Don't you want to know?"

Starscream lowered his head and came closer. "What did he say?"

"So after appearing, putting everyone on edge, and talking about how he wanted to help out, Arcee told him something like, 'We should inform you of Starscream's passing. On the night Unicron was defeated, the Predacons terminated him some time after the battle. We tracked a blank distress signal to him and collected his body'."

"And?"

"And then Megatron looked really surprised. Like, all wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Because you, dead? He just couldn't believe that it actually happened. He said, 'Is that true?', so they had to lead him to your body. Everyone got out of the way and let him look at you, but he was there for a while, and explained, 'You will have to excuse me, for you see with the amount of times he has evaded death, it is taking me a moment to process this.' But if you paid attention, you would have noticed that he did look disappointed. As much as you hated each other, you still had known each other for a very long time. I don't think he wanted you gone."

Starscream muttered, "He clearly isn't bothered enough by it, to be here now, seeming fine and doing nothing to avenge me."

"Look at him, 'Scream. When bots make faces like that, it's because they're hiding all their emotions from the world."

"He _has_ no emotions for me!" Starscream cried. "How can you tell me he didn't want me gone? Do you not recall all the times he wanted to kill me, or all the times he mercilessly beat me? Or did you just not see enough?"

"I know it's complicated, but really-"

Starscream turned his back on him and headed toward Megatron. Cliffjumper tried calling after him, but Starscream was done with getting distracted.

_Cliffjumper is wrong. Megatron does not care about me in the slightest. He hated me. I hate him._

Megatron was now on the third level, placing sheets of metal at vehicon feet. Whenever he came near them, they turned their heads to avoid looking at him. As this happened, something behind Megatron's back began to form. A spot of darkness in the midst of construction, that no vehicon noticed while they were busy ignoring Megatron. Its form grew sharper, more detailed than the previous attempts before it. And in the crested head of the murky, Seeker silhouette, two irises of purple expanded.

Megatron turned, and something small and black sprang at him. Instinctively, Megatron leapt sideways to dodge, but he was so surprised by the attack, too occupied by wondering what that was, he accidentally stepped off the edge of the building. In the next moment, there was no longer anything below Megatron's feet. Air whooshed past him as he dropped with eyes wide in disorientation, not understanding how he had gotten where he was now. Since he had been so close to the ground, he did not react and transform in time before he struck metal with a resounding clang that startled all nearby workers.

Bulkhead jolted, resetting his focus from the bumbling vehicons he had just been watching. He didn't have the time to ask what had happened, before Smokescreen grabbed him and shook him.

"Did you see that?" he yelped.

Megatron sat up. First, he had been glaring toward the rings of purple vehicons bent over the sides, but upon hearing Smokescreen, he turned his face to him.

"What was it that you saw?" Megatron growled across the way to him.

Promptly, Smokescreen began to feel uncertain. He dragged his foot over the ground, questioning if he should say what he had wanted to, to Megatron of all bots. If it had just been Bulkhead, he would have just spilled it. Now, he thought that they would think he was foolish, and maybe they would be right. _Had_ he really just seen that shape, with the wings and the heels, or was he only imagining it because of the vehicon panic last night?

Smokescreen knew he had to give an answer now, so he chose neutral ground.

"There was a shadow," he said. "Like a bot. Came out of nowhere, then vanished just like that."

* * *

**Any ghost puns from Cliffjumper are fully intentional. I'm not saying everything translates, but I was enjoying myself.**


	7. I am Nightmare

Starscream was bent over, cackling cruelly with his gaze aglow with pleasure. As for Cliffjumper, his eyes were huge with concern.

"Oh how foolish he looks!" Starscream wheezed. "Tumbling like a clumsy trooper. Buahahaha! And look, how he cannot find any way to justify it!"

With Smokescreen's words about a shadowy figure, everyone looked back up. Of course, seconds passed by, and Bulkhead started to realize how silly the notion was.

"A… what?" he rumbled.

Megatron kept watching Smokescreen. Yes, the young Autobot sounded foolish, but Megatron could not get the image out of his mind of something black leaping at his face.

Bulkhead said, "Smoke', did you see a bot up there?"

"I… er…" Smokescreen's eyes darted around. Suddenly he was so unsure and felt as inexperienced as he feared everyone believed him to be. Small and awkward, he wanted to stop talking as soon as possible. "I don't know. Maybe it was just the light…"

"Ummm…" Bulkhead tilted up his head and addressed the gawking vehicons. "Did any of you see another bot up there?"

The vehicons looked at each other. Although faceless, their body language portrayed just how ridiculous they thought the idea was. Megatron had been the only non-vehicon there, and no one had just walked up there, unnoticed, to disappear just like that.

At their unvoiced "no", Bulkhead shrugged at Smokescreen. "Must have been the light."

Smokescreen replied, "Er… must have been."

Megatron's face was still serious, refusing to believe that simple light could spook him. He uttered to Smokescreen, "What colours did you see? More than black, would you say?"

"Well, whatever I saw... it was purple too."

"That is what I saw as well. Now tell me, how tall was it?"

"Ahm, about my height."

"Whatever was in front of me was about so."

Bulkhead's eyes were widening as they kept sharing exact details.

"Now," Megatron said, "you seemed to have had a better look than I did. Did what you see have a specific form? More than a smudge, a mere shadow?"

Smokescreen sighed, "I'm pretty sure I saw someone. And, well, don't think I'm crazy, but it looked… It kinda looked like…"

"Well?"

Apart from them, the listening Starscream chuckled, "I don't think he's going to say it. But he saw me, alright."

"A… jet vehicon I think," Smokescreen exhaled. "That makes sense. Must have just been a bit shady, but they probably just saw an opportunity to make you react. They've been bad lately. Actually, there was this one who stole a piece of Starscream, so…"

Megatron frowned at him, clearly not in full belief, yet neither he or Bulkhead could imagine what else it could have been. And the longer Megatron made a big deal out of it, the more his fall became a spectacle. Vehicons above started to murmur and stifle chuckles among themselves, most likely describing how edgy Megatron seemed to be in his attempt to be an Autobot. In order to save face, he was going to have to drop the topic. And maybe, it really had just been an arrogant vehicon who had blended back into the crowd's safety. There was no reason to give him anymore satisfaction.

"Perfect," Starscream whispered as Megatron wandered off. "Just a little doubt, no more. He will remember this moment later when things get worse, and he'll know that this was where it began."

"What… are you going to do next?" Cliffjumper asked.

"Nice try, Cliffjumper! As if I would tell you, just so you can follow me again!" Starscream spun on him. "I have given you enough warnings, haven't I? While I did appreciate you listening to my venting, we are not friends. Continue to push me, and I will respond appropriately."

"It isn't just about Megatron and the Predacons," Cliffjumper went on in a calming tone. "I know that you're not going to stop with them. Maybe, you'll never even be satisfied. You'll just keep going after every single bot who did the slightest thing to you. But even if I didn't care a smidge about them, you still admitted that you are upset with my friends. It's just impossible that I could stand back while you harass them, don't you think?"

"There isn't a thing you can do," Starscream growled. "You cannot hurt me. All you can do is continue your obnoxious dialogue."

"So, what you're saying is you would kill me just for talking to you?"

Starscream's face twitched.

"If you're so powerful, why do you care if I am there?"

"I do not like you," Starscream muttered. "Typically, one avoids unpleasant company. That is not irrational."

"Don't you think it's a _biiit_ bunch to kill someone just because their talking annoys you?"

He huffed.

"Well?" Cliffjumper pressed.

Starscream pointed past Cliffjumper towards the Autobots. "Allow me to explain. Observe them."

Cliffjumper glanced back at Bulkhead and Smokescreen. Just when Cliffjumper thought Starscream was about to make a point about Megatron, he vanished. In that second, he escaped before Cliffjumper could follow him at the same speed. Nothing was heard; Cliffjumper glanced back at the odd pause, saw that Starscream was simply gone, and sighed to himself.

"Oh that sly 'con! I can't believe I fell for that!"

* * *

Finally, pleasant silence. Starscream appeared in the vehicon residence, knowing that Cliffjumper wasn't going to come searching here, since he had never mentioned haunting the trooper. It was a bit too early, however, so Starscream wandered about and wondered which rooms, which vehicons, he should torment tonight. With more than one experiencing Starscream-related nightmares, that would get the rumours flowing.

As he strolled, he noticed Wheeljack and Arcee collaborating, putting in tiny cameras stolen from the _Nemesis_. Vehicons were not going to notice them, but Starscream saw now where they were and noted their locations. Eventually, he was going to let them see just flashes of him, questionable footage, then he would stay in view for longer.

The Autobots left before vehicons would start being teleported back for their break time during the night. Starscream hung around, slightly worried that if he left, Cliffjumper might find him and spoil his vengeful joy. For at the moment, he was thinking up some fearsome nightmare ideas that he wanted to indulge in.

Not every vehicon recharged when they returned. After all, it was not always necessary for Cybertronians to rest every day. Starscream hung around the lounge, glaring at the content bodies slouching and chatting without concern. All of them, not appreciating every touch, not fearing that they could lose this world even though death came so easily to the poorly coordinated troopers. They could die in an accident tomorrow, but then accept it and go straight to the Allspark.

"None of you matter anyway," Starscream hissed as we walked among them. "No names, nothing special. No wonder you don't care or fear death. You probably think you would get a new, better life anyway."

As Starscream said these words, he thought only about how special his life had been. So unique, one of a kind truly. It had been precious, and he had always feared death because he had loved living so much. As the War went on, as his relationship with Megatron grew more dangerous, he had been called cowardly. Starscream would push others forward into danger, lie, beg, just to save himself from death.

_I valued my life more than anyone! I deserved to keep it. Doesn't anyone realize just how tragic this is? Can they not imagine how I screamed and begged and be horrified that the Predacons just went on with killing me? They do not even know that I am still here, suffering so terribly. That will change… They will know how much it hurts, and more._

There was no telling which one of these vehicons was the thief, not until they headed off to their rooms. Regardless, Starscream did not want to target him first tonight. Someone random was better, in case a call was made to the Autobots, Starscream wanted it to come from another location to baffle them.

He waited until many vehicons had settled down to rest, when it was darker and quieter. It was more effective to strike consistently at such a time. Oh yes, in the colder quietude as light faded, Starscream would spoil their relaxtion time by making them dread his coming. If he kept it up, he could make them fear each sunset, shaking as the hours ticked by.

It was the second night since his death, the following night after his haunting of the vehicon thief. He began anew, passing unseen through doors until he picked a lone vehicon deep in recharge. Far from innocent, perhaps this vehicon had been one to handle his wingtip and laugh. Even if not, Starscream was consumed by jealousy enough to despise him. A dull purple enveloped his body as he sank his claws into the vehicon's spark.

_First, Starscream observed a boring dream about construction. The vehicon could lift anything with no problem and float up and down as he pleased. Soon, however, everything began to change. Day became night, and the building became taller, rising up into the starry sky under the vehicon's feet. The next thing he knew, he was standing on the silver floor of Darkmount's uppermost level. As he glanced around, stunned by how sharp and realistic the features were getting, he heard Starscream's voice._

"This was the place I died."

_The vehicon spun, facing Starscream who stood there with false calm._

_"Starscream?" he said._

"It was Commander, to you!" _Starscream spat, clenching his fists._ "Have you no respect?"

_Bright energon began to rise from the floor, glowing ominously as it drenched everything and closed in on the vehicon. The vehicon stepped in a shocked circle, gazing at the smudged throne and the far off splatters, every mark of the scene as Starscream had seen post mortem. Among the blood, pieces began to bubble up and horrify the vehicon. As for Starscream, he was deteriorating before him, eyes darkening with death as holes and cuts opened up over him._

_Still, Starscream spoke with a voice becoming lower and distorted._ "No, I don't believe any of you truly respected me. All this was quite amusing, _wasn't it_?"

With a shriek, the vehicon shot awake and freed himself from Starscream's hold. He rolled off the berth and hit the ground, panting and shaking. Then, he hopped up and glanced around, pulse throbbing. Nothing but a tranquil, nearly empty room surrounded him. Although clearly, he had heard about the other vehicon who had experienced a nightmare. Crazy they had called him, but now…

The quivering vehicon sped-walked out of his room, too frightened to return to rest. Saying nothing, he joined his brethren in the lounge and gave himself a shot of energon. Just in case he was deficient, in case his mind was not its usual self.

Similar dreams began to happen one-by-one to other vehicons. Some came down quietly, but some came down and murmured fearfully that they had had a horrifying Starscream dream, so clear and gory, where he had spoken to them. Later, on a lower floor, a scream erupted and a vehicon charged into the hall. That woke the rest of the level and the upper and lower ones, forcing the others to have to grab the scared vehicon and calm him.

Slowly, a foreboding feeling was spreading as more and more vehicons heard that others had experienced the same nightmares. As this happened, Starscream sought out the thief at last. There he was, lying back on his berth. Exposing his teeth, Starscream glared. Despite how he had terrified him the night before, the vehicon had dared return and sleep here so peacefully!

_The dream faded into blackness. Within the obscurity, a grey form manifested and slowly approached the vehicon. His spark went immediately cold with dread. The vehicon turned and fled, too scared to look back. But every direction he turned, the figure would be in front of him, still approaching uninterrupted._

"Don't think that you are forgiven, just because you returned it."

_Closer he came._

"You still committed the deed and went unpunished."

_The vehicon held out his hands as Starscream closed the distance, eyes and body alight with unmistakable dark energon. Other vehicons had only seen his red eyes, but it was hard to hold back his corruption from showing itself here._

"I am here. And I am not going anywhere, not ever."

_The voice was coming from all around the vehicon while the dream Starscream's mouth did not open._

"So am going to kill you. There is nothing you can to do escape your fate."

_Claws reached out for the vehicon, who batted frantically but his hands could only pass through Starscream's. Because this here was not the real ghost of Starscream. No, he was clutching the dream, existing all around him. Pulse racing, not understanding, the vehicon felt utterly helpless as the fingers neared his eye._

The vehicon tore from his berth, wailing.

"No- _no_!" he screeched, bursting into the hall and alarming everyone else again. This time, when they caught him, he cried, "Forgive me! L-L-Lord Starscream, I was so wrong to do what I did. Please, I will respect you. Sp-spare me of this torture…"

Starscream sneered as vehicons passed through his body. "Your life is not valuable. I would never spare it, and I relish the sounds of your screams. Why would I stop now? How you whine and wail from mere dreams, when I have not even physically harmed you yet?"

The vehicon kept babbling and struggling in the others' arms.

"How you know nothing of true suffering." His smile faded. "When I believed my capture by the Predacons to be only a nightmare, how happy I had been! And imagine, if all my abuse under Megatron had been mere dreams, instead of real agony, long-aching wounds, and hospitalization. How _dare_ you refer to this as torture! You understand nothing!"

But he had done enough to the vehicons for that night. Eventually, news that six other vehicons had had nightmares about him would spread, and the Autobots would see them freaking out in the videos if they checked. Now, Starscream thought about what he could do, and his mind only begged for him to go to the Predacons. Since Cliffjumper had been following Megatron, he could not yet know where they were.

Foremost, Starscream was getting addicted to the screams.

_But I can't go full out. Not yet_, he tried to tell himself. _They must question their sanity first. Patience, to prolong their suffering._

He couldn't help but wonder what the Predacons, especially Predaking, would be dreaming about. Therefore, Starscream promptly streaked across the night sky to find them where he had last left them. Here was hoping that they would be resting instead of staying up, after he had sickened them during the day.

Yes, there were the beasts in their animalistic forms. Huge, feral, and out in the elements. Starscream glowered and came down, landing in front of Predaking where he slept with his head over his claws. For a few moments, all Starscream could do was stare at his body, coming as close as he liked without fear. His fangs had been smeared with his blood nights ago, crunching his body and tearing things out, but now they were closed, dry, and covered by the tendrils. The merciless eyes were now shut together gently, and the claws that had scratched him and punctured his legs rested limply over the ground.

"How can you not be ashamed of what you have done?" Starscream breathed. "By the very creature that you are? Every part of your true form, designed for slaughter. You are not the honourable and mature bot you pretend to be. Once you told us that you were no beast, but do you not even realize that you are, after what you did to me?"

Starscream walked into his chest and sought out his spark.

Now, what did Predaking think, what did he dream?

_He was small, clearly, for all the vehicons were the same height as he was. Together, he walked among them, worked among them, but could never really understand their words. All that was muffled, but it was fine. Predaking's spark was content enough with what was happening. His dream hands were three-fingered and grey, bolting in the things Skylynx and Darkteel were bringing up for them. Sometimes things fell off the building, or Predaking bolted things in strange pieces, but it was all fine. None of it mattered._

"What is this folly?" _came an enraged cry._

_Predaking turned, shocked immediately by the familiar voice. Starscream stood behind him, quivering with his eyes coloured purple for some reason. Not everything in the dream was correctly coloured, so he did not notice it at first. But then, the dream was beginning to change. Seeing Starscream made his mind more conscious, reminding Predaking that Starscream could not be here. Suddenly, Predaking returned to his true size and self, in bot-form, unable to imagine being Starscream's size anymore. It only became stranger. As he looked at Starscream, he could also see himself in third person perspective. Hard it was to understand, but he could see two things at once._

_The scene also became sharper, more defined as both remembered a true place where the Predacons had worked that day. The fuzzy dream vehicons all disappeared, leaving the two of them alone._

"How could you dream of something so tranquil?" _Starscream spat. _"It has only been two days since you killed me. Am I already forgotten from your mind?"

"_Starscream?" Predaking was dazed with confusion. "How are you here? Are you alive?"_

_He pointed a furious claw at him. _"No, you fool! You terminated me!"

"_But how can that be, when you stand before me?"_

_Starscream let out an infuriated cry. _"How could you forget everything you did? You tore me apart, refusing to cease no matter how much I screamed! You! You did that, you horrible beast!"

_The building vanished. In an instant, Starscream was gone and Predaking was looking out through his eyes again. Except, he was no longer himself. Once again small, Predaking was walking backwards on strangely light feet. In control of nothing, Predaking shook and moved, looking directly at… his own body._

_Another Predaking approached, uttering, "I am not here to seize thrones, Starscream, but to settle scores."_

_Skylynx and Darksteel stalked forward, growling and snapping their mouths at him. Predaking felt his spark quickening in fear, then he gasped when he tripped back into the throne. His body was so thin that there was much room to squirm around in it, and he felt his triangular wings falling askew and hitting the armrests. A wail erupted from him, then Predaking, in Starscream's voice, cried, "Wai-wait! No-"_

_Words that Predaking, in reality, had not heard at the time seemed so clear now when he tasted them. To himself, he was loud and so evidently terrified. And he thought Starscream's racing thoughts from before, that he would try to talk with the Predacons to save himself. The memory Predaking, so massive and cold-faced, came closer. Spark pounding faster and faster, Predaking realized at once that he had missed his chance to fly. _

_He screamed when his ankle was seized, but then the fear as he was thrown at Darksteel and Skylynx was too much. Partway through the air, Predaking was unable to handle the terror. Everything vanished, and-_

Predaking's eyes flashed open as he jolted. A wind whistled and carried a soft wave of ash over the ground. Night still reigned, holding the stars and moon above him. Looking around himself, he saw Skylynx and Darksteel curled up next to each other, asleep and giving the occasional twitch. It took a few moments for his fear to ebb, but just for a few seconds after experiencing that dream, Skylynx and Darksteel had frightened him. They had seemed so entirely different, bloodthirsty and dangerous, but now Predaking was himself again, bigger, stronger, and a brethren to them.

Starscream saw his eyes relax. Then, Predaking growled a sigh and readjusted his arms. If only he spoke in this form, or if Starscream could hear his thoughts. Now, Predaking's beastly face was hard to read. Head propped up, Predaking gazed at the stars with no intention of sleeping again.

_I have to get better at this_. Starscream glared. _He didn't experience nearly enough. The pain hadn't even started yet. I am going to hold him, make him go through the entire thing. Perhaps though, I went too far tonight. At least now I have him thinking about me again, wondering how I would have felt. Yes, let him realize how monstrous his actions were._

Although Starscream felt that he hated Skylynx and Darksteel equally, Skylynx was slightly closer. So he was the first Starscream touched, to see what sort of dream he was having. From Skylynx's eyes, Starscream spectated a strange scene unobtrusively.

_There was already a dream Starscream, imagined up by Skylynx himself. Right outside Shockwave's current lab, Skylynx was following him in bot-form in the abandoned amusement park, Six Lasers Over Cybertron. Not stalking, since the dream Starscream was aware of him and kept looking back. _

_There was, naturally, a Darksteel with Skylynx. Both watched this Starscream climbing up random structures, but when they tried to follow him, they moved so slowly and broke everything they touched. The dream Starscream sneered and mocked them from high up._

_ "Why do you break everything you touch? Brutish creatures!"_

_Skylynx tried to transform to fly up, but he couldn't. He was stuck, spark feeling stressed that he could not properly spread his wings and soar. He and Darksteel kept trying to climb, because for some reason it was paramount that they be able to do what he could. _

_The Starscream kept laughing, "You can no longer transform! Now, you will never turn into those horrid beast forms again!"_

_His cackle continued as Bumblebee appeared behind Skylynx. It was the right voice, but he was far more direct and accusing than the real Bumblebee had been. He asked him, "You, where is Starscream?"_

_Skylynx turned around, gaping. "What?"_

"_Why did you kill him?"_

"_Kill him? I did no such thing. He is right up there, can you not see?"_

"_We know it was you. We found his body."_

"_What? He is there, right there!"_

_Without interference, Skylynx suddenly imagined that Starscream was gone. Even Darksteel was no longer beside him as he gazed at the authoritative Bumblebee. Then, Bumblebee warped into Shockwave, but Skylynx hardly noticed the change._

"_What did you do to Starscream?" he rumbled. _

_Some vague recollection was coming back to Skylynx._

"_I do not know…"_

"_I can see his scratches on your face."_

"_What?" Skylynx went to touch his face, but noticed that his claws were bloody. He froze and gawked._

"_We killed him," said Predaking. Suddenly, he and Darksteel were with him, but Shockwave was gazing only at Skylynx._

"_For what reason?"_

_Dream Darksteel said, "He shocked us too much!"_

_Shockwave answered, "Does that alone warrant his termination?"_

_Skylynx cried, "But we did not kill him!" He pointed back, where Starscream was sitting on top a rollercoaster rail. "He is right there!"_

Starscream retracted. Eyes wide, he backed out and stood at Skylynx's side.

"What is the meaning of that?" he murmured. "He was thinking of me, and he remembers killing me. He had everyone accuse him, and yet Skylynx continued to deny it."

The Predacon's foot scuffed the ground by Darksteel's face. As Starscream debated on what to think, if he ought to be angry, he walked over to Darksteel. The Predacon was scratching and shifting his beak, growling softly. Entering his chest, Starscream now connected with his spark.

_A pile of undead bodies crushed him, all flaky metal and purple light. And the horde, refusing to stop on their journey to Primus, pressed forward, dragging Darksteel with them. It was constant disorientation, pain of the weight and the dull claws scratching him, and no knowledge of when it would end. Darksteel cried out and fought, but he could hardly move. There was nothing he could do. More dead were coming, and his spark feared that he was not going to escape._

"You are fine," _hissed a familiar voice. _"Lucky for you, this ends."

_Darksteel forgot about the undead. Now, he was on the surface on some nondescript, metal plain facing a purple-eyed and purple-tinged Starscream. After just seeing Unicron's undead, he was alarmed by that colour._

"_Starscream?" he gasped._

"See, your pain and fear vanished just like that. You have no idea how I envy that… If only I could be released from my own nightmares, but because of what you three did, my reality _is_ a nightmare."

_Darksteel stared at him, so startled by the clarity of Starscream. And his voice and words, so unusual for the randomness of regular dreams. _

"Have you nothing to say?" _Starscream glared at him. _"You seem only horrified to see me again. I am sure that you just wished that I would disappear from your life forever, didn't you?"

"_Are you alive?" Darksteel could not understand how Starscream was standing, lacking wounds, and speaking so intelligently. So unlike the undead Predacons of the horde he had fought._

_Starscream's wings flared and the purple aura flickered into flame-like vapours. _

"Of course not!" _he shouted._ "You idiotic creatures, can none of you even acknowledge the torture you submitted me to?"

_Darksteel was flung into a smaller body on the top of Darkmount. He dropped from Skylynx's mouth, clutched by terror and pained in one wing. Before he could orientate himself, he spotted himself, a monstrous beast in the moonlight. A face he could barely recognize, with pitiless eyes and a horrifyingly large beak. That Darksteel was an animal, something that did not appear to be able to transform, not a bot, not sentient. _

_Claws tore across Darksteel's grey chest, ripping open grooves and tearing through his red Decepticon insignia. He screamed in Starscream's voice, spark leaping at the feel of hot pain and blood-_

Darksteel leapt up and squawked, charging over Skylynx. At the rude awakening from his dream, Skylynx too shrieked and scrambled away. Predaking hopped up onto all fours as the other two panicked and shoved against each other. Using his shrill shriek, Predaking gained their attention, then he transformed to bark, "What is the meaning of this?"

Both transformed as well and sat on the ground.

"It was my fault," Darksteel breathed, still shaky. "I had a nightmare, and I ran over Skylynx."

Skylynx glanced at him. "I too, was having an unpleasant dream… I overreacted when woken."

Predaking stared at them, thinking how he too had had a nightmare. Just like before, when all three had been affected by nausea, Predaking hesitated and wondered if he should admit his own experiences to them.

"And what was it that you dreamt of?" he asked.

Darksteel interwove his fingers. "Er… It was, about Starscream."

Predaking frowned. Snapping his head to Skylynx, Predaking pressured Skylynx to admit, "The same for me."

"What about these dreams disturbed you?" Predaking's voice hardened, with that exact steel he had given Bumblebee and Shockwave.

Skylynx muttered, "Everyone was accusing me, wanting me punished. They kept asking why, and I could not justify what happened."

Darksteel said, "I dreamt that Starscream was before me, furious about his death. He said he had suffered a lot. Then, I… I dreamt I _was_ him, being attacked by myself. That's what woke me."

Predaking's eyebrows lowered.

Skylynx and Darksteel glanced uneasily at each other, letting a long, tense silence pass.

"Predaking," Skylynx murmured. "It has been two days now since we did it, yet we have not spoken about it."

"What is there to speak about?" Predaking glared. "What is done is done."

"When… we went after him, I did not imagine that we were going to kill him," Skylynx went on. "What... was it that you intended to do?"

Something inside Predaking snapped at those words. His yellow eyes went huge, the rings of his pupils narrowed, and he cried, "Of course I intended to kill him! You two did not know him long enough, but Starscream was an entirely despicable bot. He was sadistic, arrogant, and dangerous. Every bot is better off now that he is gone. None of us should feel guilty over what we did, no matter how the Autobots judge us!"

Darksteel and Skylynx bowed their heads, uncertain and submissive to Predaking's yelling. Yet Darksteel could not help it, just to murmur in the heavy silence after Predaking's words.

"Did we go to far?" he said. "If you just wanted to kill him, it should have been faster than that. What we did… it wasn't like anything he ever did to us, right?"

Skylynx nodded slowly.

Predaking's face moved like a disturbed pool, rippling with rage that he tried to hold back. He turned his head, gritted his teeth, then uttered, "Perhaps it was suitable, considering what he did to _others_. In the end, he would have realized how it felt to suffer like his victims."

Starscream snapped, "_What?_ Teach _me_ suffering? You don't think I didn't know what pain felt like? You ignorant dolt, do you not even know how Megatron punished me for failure? I feared and avoided pain _precisely_ because I already understood suffering!"

The Predacons all stared at one another.

"I don't know…" Darksteel said. "Even if no one liked him…"

"It does not matter. We swore that we would not do this again," Predaking growled. "So now, forget Starscream. He is not going to be missed, so eventually the Autobots are going to stop judging us."

They nodded along, dropping their shoulders.

"Feel no guilt," Predaking uttered. "He is gone, and good riddance. Now, I do not want to have this conversation once more in the future. Do not speak to me of Starscream again."

Starscream's hatred for Predaking grew ever stronger than before, surpassing his hatred for the other two Predacons by far. Consumed by dark energon, Starscream breathed, "Oh how you will pay for this, Predaking…"

No one was going to go back to sleep that night. The Predacons stayed in bot-form, uncomfortably sitting apart from each other without speaking. Rest assured, he would be back for more. Now though, Starscream needed to leave and take out his rage on something- someone- else.

Radiating toxic purple, Starscream returned to the _Nemesis_ to seek out Megatron. If he was resting after his journey and hard work, then the only place Starscream could imagine he would be was his own quarters in the warship. It did not seem like the Autobots would have just stuck him with the vehicons. At least here, as well, all of them with the relics they possessed could control him if need be.

As he came up the hall to the room, the all-too familiar red of Cliffjumper was seen standing in front of the door. He had followed Megatron, and now, he hopped to attention at the sight of Starscream.

"There you are!" he gasped, rushing a few steps forward, before cautiously staying back at the sight of the flaming darkness over Starscream. Every part of Starscream's spark was tense with clear fury at something Cliffjumper had missed.

"St-Starscream?" Cliffjumper stammered.

"Get out of my way."

As Starscream stalked forward, cold-serious eyes on him, Cliffjumper moved away. Yet he still said, "'Scream, wait… There is something, really, really important I have to tell you about."

A glare was his answer.

"I looked all over the place for you! I couldn't find you, so I was waiting, hoping you would come back eventually for Megatron…"

"What is it?" Starcream snapped.

"They… You missed it, wherever you were. Knockout fixed your body, then they placed you into a coffin Ratchet put together."

"Did they?" Starscream cocked his head, relaxing just the slightest.

"Yeah, then so that no one would violate your body again, they had you melted."

Instead of a pleased reaction, Cliffjumper leapt back as Starscream screeched.

"_M__elted_? No! No, they couldn't have- no! _No_!"

Cliffjumper's eyebrows shot up as Starscream grabbed his own head, leaned back and screamed.

"Whoa, 'Scream, wh-what is it? What's wrong?"

The Seeker sank to his knees, jerking and shrieking. "My body, no- no! It was repaired, it-it was _ready_!"

"What? Hey, what is the matter?"

Starscream's hands fell off his face, and his red eyes stared at him with intense sorrow and terror.

"I needed it," he whispered. "I… I was going to go back into it. I… could have…"

He choked.

"I-I… could have… come back to li...life…"

Cliffjumper calmed as all the purple vanished and Starscream dropped, frangible and wounded. Now he felt safe to come closer, to kneel by him.

"No, it's okay," Cliffjumper murmured. "It wouldn't have worked, 'Scream, I'm sorry. Our sparks aren't as strong as they used to be…"

"I'm _different_!" Starscream wailed. "How would you know? I could have! I could have told Knockout to put energon in me, and then, I'm sure I could have taken back my body! My chance to return to life, it's, it is gone!"

He bent over, wings pointed down and body heaving.

_I wanted to live,_ _I wanted to live again…_

Too despaired to speak, Starscream's mouth moved but he could only think these words.

"No, there is still a chance to live again," Cliffjumper murmured. "The Allspark, Starscream. We might be given new lives, and then you can have everything again."

"Shut up!" Starscream snarled. "No, never! I do not want a new life! I wanted _mine_, Cliffjumper! How could you ever suggest a replacement as solace? When it means that everything I remember and feel right now would be erased!"

Starscream leapt up onto his feet.

"Everyone wants to forget me! That is all they speak of, and now you are suggesting that even I partake in it! How could you? Do you too think that I do not matter?"

Cliffjumper leaned back from his cries. "No, I didn't mean… I am sorry. I just wanted to console you."

"You cannot," Starscream uttered. "There are no words that can be said to heal me. All I wanted was revenge and to have my life back. Now, there is no chance, is there? All I can do is become more powerful. Maybe then, I can simulate life… But Cliffjumper, if I can never feel again, I will always know what was stolen from me. I will always be suffering."

He narrowed purple eyes.

"Who made the suggestion to melt me?"

Cliffjumper lifted his hands. "Look, you never wrote your desired burial practice in any log. They only wanted to be kind to you, Starscream. To protect you from others."

"Who, Cliffjumper?" Starscream yelled. "Stop hiding this from me! First, you refuse to inform me who pointed the Predacons after me, and now-! Now you will not tell me who ruined my chance of living again!"

"No, Starscream. I know if I tell you, you will do everything you can to hurt them-"

Starscream's voice dropped, calm and cold. "Cliffjumper. If you do not tell me, you will be the one getting hurt."

Just as Cliffjumper's eyes began to widen, Starscream's corrupted spirit latched onto him. Hands falling over his shoulders, fingers sinking into him, Starscream held him in place. Instantly, Cliffjumper writhed and paled, hollering in pain. When he tried to shove Starscream away, to fight free, Cliffjumper only caused himself more pain by contacting him.

"Who showed the Predacons where I had gone?" Starscream hissed. "Who had me melted?"

"No, no, I can't- _ah_! Stop, Starscream- please, just-"

In his rage, the dark energon flamed, wounding the other spark faster. Cliffjumper shouted and twisted, his colours paling even further.

"Tell me!"

"No, no- I will n-"

Cliffjumper was becoming more transparent to Starscream. He too was aware, looking in horror at himself.

"Cliffjumper, you fool! Just tell me their names!"

"Arhh, it was…"

Starscream began to pull back.

"Smokescreen… and Megatron…"

Starscream let go quickly and backed away, getting out of range of Cliffjumper. The other spark was so faded, stumbling weakly to straighten himself. Despite having just gotten what he wanted, all Starscream could do was stare at him. Spark pulsing with worry, Starscream waited, hoping for colour to return to Cliffjumper's body.

For a long time, nothing happened. Cliffjumper was not recovering, it seemed, but then and very slowly, colour saturated his form. Starscream started to relax, but then, the progress stopped. Cliffjumper was much better, and yet, he did not seem to be as bright as he had been before.

Starscream's worry turned to ire. "Look at what you've done," he uttered. "I had not wanted to do that, but your stubbornness compelled me!"

He spun around, then turned back, remembering the information he had been given.

"So _Megatron_ suggested that they melt my body?" Starscream cried. "He wanted it destroyed? And Smokescreen, that young fool pointed vengeful beasts after me?"

"Starscream… Neither of them wanted to do you any harm," Cliffjumper breathed. "They had no idea."

"What does it matter, accident or not?" Starscream growled. "The result was the same, wasn't it? I am suffering, and no one is getting punished. They have to know, Cliffjumper. They have to suffer as well."

Starscream's face darkened as he turned and walked through the door, beholding Megatron's slumbering form. As a grin of sadistic delight crossed his face, Cliffjumper's shout was heard.

"And then what, Starscream? After you have had your revenge, hurt and killed everyone, nothing will change! You will be as alone as you ever were, and still nothing more than a dead spark! You are _dead_, Starscream, and as angry as you are, no matter what you do, you will always be dead!"

Starscream slammed his eyes shut. "Be quiet!"

"Why? Because you hate the truth? Starscream, your life is over! You don't want to be erased, but you have no choice anymore! You were never going to be alive again, not as yourself. All that you have now is the Allspark!"

Cliffjumper strolled through the shut door.

"Come on, Starscream. Is your life really worth holding onto?" His voice went soft. "All these memories of pain, why do you fight so hard to keep them? Don't you want to have a new life, with no memories of War, of abuse, of a cruel death…? What if you become a flier again, wouldn't you be happy enough? To feel the wind and sun again, living a life with friends, bots who care about you, without a caste system or a master…"

Watching his back, Cliffjumper saw the purple vanish again and Starscream's wings falling down. He too, began to quiver before the oblivious Megatron.

"Come on, 'Scream," he whispered. "It will be so much better, I promise."

Starscream held his upper arms, body shaking side-to-side.

"You do not even know that will happen," he replied breezily.

"You always believed that your spark would not be truly extinguished, didn't you? That it would become one with the Allspark?"

"Yes…"

"Onyx Prime could see deceased sparks in the other realm. Our realm, of its little holes and gateways through space that let us cross incredible distances to join the Allspark. His recorded words were right, Starscream. And so, if our history also contains rumors of reincarnation, don't you believe it as well? And doesn't it make sense? Sparks are reabsorbed, but sparks are always coming out of the same ol' light. That means we can go in, and one day we will come back out in those new bodies."

"That isn't what I want," Starscream inhaled. "Why does the Allspark not just return everyone as they were before?"

"I don't think it can control it. Once we join the Allspark, all our memories get mixed into it. It can't separate them again, when shooting out new life," Cliffjumper said. "But hey, 'Scream. Remember, you shouldn't want to keep those painful memories…"

Starscream quaked and rocked at his words, remembering everything he had just said about a new life, without pain, with friends, and freedom. He wanted all those things, but he wanted them now and for_ himself_.

"The reality hurts. It hurts for me too," Cliffjumper said. "I am really sorry. You know, I am afraid too. I am going to forget all my friends, and I will never be able to make Arcee feel better. I never had the chance to tell her that it's okay, that she doesn't need to keep hurting because of me."

"But, Cliffjumper," Starscream whispered with effort. "I do not even think I can join the Allspark. With this dark energon in my spark, I am ruined. I will never live again, never as myself or… or as someone with that wonderful life you described… Because of what they did, I have… nothing else but this."

With this said, Starscream leaned forward to grasp Megatron's spark.

_Justice will ease this pain... Not all of it, but a significant amount. _

_I must have my revenge._


	8. Newfound Power

Starscream slipped into Megatron's dream, but after his discussion with Cliffjumper, he was still bound by hopelessness and pain. He had not taken the time to prepare a nightmare, and he had hardly paid attention to the dream surroundings before projecting himself.

_Megatron stopped, confused why his lone walk in an older Kaon had been interrupted by a Starscream. Out of nowhere, his former second-in command appeared and stood directly in front of him, face haunted by distress, body slightly quivering. And out of all the Starscream emotions that Megatron had witnessed in their past together, he had never seen such remarkable sadness on Starscream's face._

_Then, Starscream seemed to properly notice him, snapping up his head. Eyes shaking between fury and sorrow, Starscream accused him, _"This is your fault."

"_What is my fault, Starscream?" he answered steadily._

_His unbothered tone infuriated Starscream further. Starscream cried, _"How typical, brushing off all that you did to me as though it all were nothing! You probably assume just like everyone else that I deserved everything, my death included. You must feel better to have me out of your life. You cannot even deny it when you wanted me dead many times before!"

"_What is it that you want me to say?" Megatron looked at him, not exactly following, not realizing the seriousness of the dream or that Starscream. "With such a stance, you seem only willing to accept one answer from me: the one that will certainly offend you."_

"I already know your feelings about me. I do not need your answer. You should instead consider all that I say as my reasons for terminating you."

"_Terminating me?" Megatron chuckled._

"How dare you sound amused!" _Starscream cried. _"Yes! And I will make you suffer so much more not for the abuse you dealt me in life, but for ruining my chances of ever living again!"

"_I do not follow."_

"You were the one who decided to have me melted. You destroyed my body! I needed that to return, and you condemned me to my current fate!"

"_What are you blathering about?" Megatron muttered. _

"Of course _you_ decide everything for me, thinking that you had the right! You never even stopped to consider that I may have not wanted to have my corpse reduced into undignified sludge!"

"_And tell me, Starscream, how I could have asked you what you wanted?"_

"You are still not taking me seriously. You do not even comprehend what is happening right now." _Starscream's eyes narrowed as he gazed up into Megatron's._ "But you will understand, soon enough. Then you will cease sounding amused, looking at me as though I am foolish. It will all change. For once, I will make _you_ the one screaming and begging for mercy."

_Megatron still gazed at him, as though weary of his words._

"I will be here, the next time you recharge." _Starscream's eyes lit up with purple light. _"Expect me. Remember this, that I will be back."

Just as Megatron was reacting in surprise to the dark energon, Starscream withdrew. His face with eyes still purple, glared at the slumbering Megatron.

"What happened?" Cliffjumper gasped.

"The beginning," Starscream hissed. "So nothing, yet."

"So you were talking to him? What did you say? What did he say?"

Starscream whirled on him. "He treated me like I was a fool! He did not care at all, or take any of my threats seriously!"

"Well, he thinks you're dead, gone, and that it was just a dream…"

"Even if he thought I was not real, Cliffjumper, his voice, his amusement- it was all the same! He still believes I am pathetic, very nearly laughing when I said that I would kill him!"

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No one _ever_ takes me seriously! Even you, Cliffjumper! You never respected me as a leader as imposing as Megatron!"

"And that is why you killed me."

Starscream narrowed his eyes. "Everyone, yourself included, made grave errors by disrespecting me. If you had not insulted me, you might not be here right now."

"And if you had not disrespected the Predacons, _you_ might not be here right now."

"How _dare_ you!"

Cliffjumper charged backwards to avoid the swiping, purple-coated claws. Evidently in danger, he hurried through a wall then took the second to zoom away as fast as he could, in a random direction to escape Starscream's wrath. When Starscream came through the wall, he was instantly satisfied to see that he was gone.

"It was still war," he hissed to himself. "And your death gave me worth in the Decepticon ranks. The Predacons had no rank or power to hold, nothing to prove. They were only embarrassed that their _mighty_, _superior_ selves were commanded by _me_. If Predaking had just respected me and obeyed me as easily as he obeyed Megatron's orders, then I never would have needed to attempt force! But no. He scorned me, ignoring my orders, even attacking me. How else was I suppose to control the others? Oh, how awful of me to not command them with 'please' and 'thank you's! I deserved to die for that, did I?"

It was frustrating that Cliffjumper was not here to hear this. Oh how Starscream hated the way of the Autobots, always trying to compare things to try to expose someone as a hypocrite, to show them that their actions were wrong. The Autobots were so blind to the differences, he thought, and they could not see the extra layers to Starscream's actions.

Why did everyone keep forgetting that they had thought Predaking was just an animal at first? How was Starscream supposed to know that Predaking could understand his insults? When Starscream had said them to Megatron in front of Predaking, it wasn't to insult the Predacon, it was to insult _Shockwave_. Shockwave, who had stolen his position, awing Megatron and making Starscream look worthless in comparison. Then after a stream of failures, Starscream was- to his dread- placed in charge of what he thought was a dangerous animal.

He was nervous and bitter that he had been given such a difficult task. Still, he did not believe that the Predacon understood him. His insults spilled out, his mind still hateful of Shockwave and anything Shockwave had created to impress Megatron. He had not known the animal had had any pride to wound! When Megatron was expecting Starscream to handle the Predacon, but the beast ignored him, what else could he do?

Skylynx and Darksteel weren't going to respect him either. Why would they? Shockwave was their creator, who they saw as smarter and stronger than Starscream. And Starscream was still nervous about Predacons, startled each time they crashed inside. Then two Predacons against him and Shockwave- of course he had the right to be worried when they might overpower them. They needed to be put in their place, somehow. Could no one imagine what it would be like to stand in Starscream's place? How limited his options had been?

Starscream searched for Smokescreen, checking the quarters. The young bot had been up all night yesterday, so he was likely resting now. Starscream passed by a patrolling Wheeljack unseen, before finally finding Smokescreen recharging in a vehicon berth on the top bunk.

He was not alone; Arcee, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were with him, in the other berths in the room and ready to protect each other. Unfortunately for them, Smokescreen was as defenseless here as he was alone.

_Smokescreen was dominating the obstacle course, beating all the other blurry students and feeling swollen up in pride. But then, h__e skidded to a halt when Starscream appeared on a block Smokescreen had been meant to climb over. Starscream stared down at him long enough to unsettle him, and once gaining Smokescreen's full attention, the rest of the dream faded._

"Do you know what you did?" _Starscream uttered._

"_What?"_

"You pointed the Predacons after me. Have you not considered yet that my death is on your hands?"

"_What, n-no! I didn't mean to…"_

_The memory was being seized, pushed forward without Smokescreen wishing it. Now, Starscream could see the memory, what had happened after he had flown away from the Autobots that fateful night._

_The Predacons were listening in their bot-forms as Optimus explained to them how he had trapped Unicron by absorbing the Allspark into the Matrix. While it was interesting for Starscream to hear, he was watching from Smokescreen's eyes and impatient to see what he would do._

_Next, Optimus explained that Megatron had renounced the Decepticon cause. As Predaking expressed his shock, everyone else started agreeing and saying just how much they could not believe it as well._

_Smokescreen said, "It was just so unexpected! Starscream came down and talked about restoring him as leader, but then Megatron just snapped and refused."_

_Smokescreen flapped his hands lazily in the directions._

"_He just flew off one way, and 'Scream another. Who knows what will happen now?"_

_Smokescreen had seen that Predaking's eyes lingered in the general direction Starscream had gone, and that the Predacon was quiet. But he did not truly notice until now, that there had been dark meaning to it._

"_Oh no," Smokescreen whispered. He was back to facing Starscream again._

"What an Autobot you are," _Starscream growled. _"You told them, you saw his expression, yet when they flew in that direction, you did nothing!"

"_I- I didn't know..." Smokescreen choked, spark swimming in guilt and horror. He himself summoned up of brief flashes of Starscream's body._

"You gave them the idea!"

"_No, I-I didn't… I swear, I didn't mean to say that and I didn't know they wanted to…"_

"My death is on your hands, Autobot. Remember that and feel consumed by the guilt of what you have done!"

"_I am so sorry. I didn't want you to die! I didn't do it on purpose!"_

_Starscream glared._ "What is done cannot be undone. You are guilty."

"_No, no-_"

Smokescreen jumped up awake and cried, "I didn't know!"

Everyone else in the room shot up.

"Didn't know what?" Bulkhead groaned and blinked. "What are you shouting for?"

Smokescreen felt overly hot and panted because of it. In the dim light, his blue eyes were overly wide.

In a serious voice, Arcee then asked, "Smoke', what's wrong? Is it about Optimus?"

Starscream thought, _They speak as though he is dead…_

Then, after seeing Smokescreen's memory and hearing Optimus's explanation, Starscream understood exactly what had happened to him. But Starscream's concern for Optimus's well-being was so low that he only continued to eagerly listen to Smokescreen's whimpers.

"No, guys… I… I think it's my fault Starscream got killed," he choked.

"Come on, Smokey," Bumblebee answered in the dark. "Of course it wasn't. You weren't even there."

"But I pointed which way he went, remember? Oh how could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I just keep my mouth shut and let Optimus speak?"

"We all started talking," Arcee said. "And if you were foolish, then we all were. None of us realized they were going after him, and none of us stopped them."

"But we had no idea they hated him," Bumblebee pointed out. "So we can't blame ourselves for not stopping them."

Smokescreen said, "But if I hadn't pointed at all, he might have still been alive. I know he was our enemy, none of us liked him, but… _my_ stupid actions led to his death… I've killed vehicons but that was during the action in the heat of battle. Everything about this is just wrong, after the War just ended, hunting him down just to kill him like that…"

"You can't beat yourself up about it," Bulkhead responded. "You didn't know. The only ones to blame are the Predacons, but we can't do anything about them right now."

"And don't worry too much over Starscream," Arcee added. "He did kill one of our own before you arrived to Earth."

"Cliffjumper…" Smokescreen murmured. "I know, I know… But that doesn't make me feel any better. If Optimus wouldn't have wanted him to die like that, then I know I shouldn't either. I just feel guilty, you know? I need to think things through more, be more careful like you guys… None of you would have done what I did."

"This really seems to be bothering you," Bumblebee said.

"Yeah. I don't know, I keep seeing him. I was just dreaming about him too. It must be the guilt I didn't really know I had. And you know, there's another thing I feel guilty about too: we're not punishing those Predacons."

"If society was as it were before, we would have," Arcee replied. "But right now we have no means of judging or imprisoning the Predacons, and now is not the time to cause trouble with them either. We need to maintain peace with them."

"Smokescreen, it's alright," Bulkhead rumbled. "You don't need to feel guilty about anything. None of it was your fault."

"Maybe," Smokescreen sighed.

"Was your dream that bad?" Bulkhead asked.

"Yeah, it was. I dreamt that Starscream was upset with me, telling me that it was my fault he died."

"That's tough, but it was only a dream, Smoke'. What he said isn't true."

He shrugged unhappily.

"It's okay, Smokescreen," Arcee told him.

They lay back down to rest, but Smokescreen was not able to recharge like the others. It was hard to shake off the guilt from such a vivid dream about Starscream, but also it was hard to sleep when he had such a terrible headache.

* * *

Morning came, and Cliffjumper still did not return. He must have been waiting for Starscream to calm down before returning, but now Starscream really did not want him back. Clearly, he did not feel bad for him at all. All it ever seemed that he did was compare his death to Starscream's, which was annoyingly ignorant. Worst of all, now it seemed that Cliffjumper was defending every single bot who had slighted Starscream.

Eventually, Starscream sought out his own body but was unable to find it. He tried to wait to find out where it was, by hanging around Ratchet who apparently had built his coffin. Pacing in impatience, he watched Ratchet speak to Ultra Magnus, explaining everything delicately to the weary commander. They spent way too much time on Optimus's fate and Megatron. When Starscream's death was mentioned, Ratchet did not even mention the Predacons, and Ultra Magnus did not bother to ask more. All he wanted to know now was where Megatron was and how they were monitoring him. He made it clear that he disapproved Megatron being here, but Ratchet explained that they had no way to contain Megatron even if they wanted to.

"Why not use the Immobilizer?" Ultra Magnus said.

"On Megatron?"

"With him free, it would not be difficult for him to round up the troopers and outnumber us. He may wait for the warship to be repaired before taking it. Then, how would we hope to stand against him?"

"None of us like him," Ratchet grumbled quietly. "But Optimus would never have condoned such a thing. We have no choice but to give him a chance."

Ultra Magnus conceded, but was irritable about it.

_My body! Where is my body cooling?_ Starscream thought.

Such a process took so long that Starscream realized that no one was going to check on him until tonight or later even, when the coffin was cool and melted shut from the heat of the inside. If there was going to be a burial, then it would not be today.

Well then, it was time to get along with things.

Starscream stalked out and passed through the vehicons repairing the warship, those overseen by Smokescreen and Knockout. He narrowed his eyes at Smokescreen, but his favor of Knockout mollified his anger. Besides, there were others to hate aside from the young Autobot.

The Predacons were gone from their outdoor refuge, but were easily found at Shockwave's lab. Apparently, they had nothing better to do than impatiently wait on that still incubating Predacon. Whether Shockwave was bothered to have them hovering around him, Starscream could not tell. Once he got studying, Shockwave ignored them entirely.

They strolled in and out of the laboratory out of boredom, and Darksteel decided to climb up onto the rails of a roller coaster. As he did so, Skylynx stared up after Darksteel, his healing face disturbed. No matter how Darksteel urged him to climb up with him, Skylynx could only shake his head. Eyes staring upwards, he looked past Darksteel to the very top of the structure. He could not shake that dream he had had out of his mind, and Starscream knew it.

Only Skylynx had been looking in the right place to see the shadowy form of a Seeker, sitting on the uppermost rail with legs crossed. He jolted, blinked- and then it was gone. A shiver scampered down his back as he scurried back inside to stand with Shockwave.

In Kaon, Megatron was back at work, his presence making everyone uncomfortable to the core. Wheeljack and Arcee were on watch there.

Bumblebee was alone in charge of Iacon.

At the Hydrax Plateau, Bulkhead was working on the landing site to welcome refugee spacecrafts.

Everything was progressing like a clockwork, with only slight stirs. Unease rippled through vehicon ranks, and not only those in Kaon with Megatron. Autobots gave the vehicons odd looks in the other regions. They seemed unusually tired, wary, and quiet, but the Autobots only asked themselves if they were overworking the troopers.

Starscream returned to hover around Megatron, and that was when he spotted Cliffjumper again. The red bot was far away, keeping a distance to watch Starscream from another building. Their heads turned to face each other, confirming that both knew of each other's presence.

_Already! He was waiting for me!_ Starscream tingled with rage. _But I have listened to him enough. His words wound me more than they heal me._

That tingling sensation was, in fact, the familiar feel of dark energon wrapping around him. It surged upwards, inside to out. Seeing the dark change, Cliffjumper decided to stay back.

_You want to see what I will do today, Cliffjumper? I will develop my power. For I do have it. I must only sharpen my concentration… I can be seen, and my form is becoming more refined. And if they can see me, then something is making it into their world. So then, what would stop me from touching and interacting with that world as well?_

Starscream just needed something light to practice with. As he landed upon the ground and strolled toward a stockpile of supplies, vehicons walked through him. He growled in annoyance, then flitted his eyes over what was available.

A very thin, flexible mesh was covering a box of wires yet to be installed. Starscream decided that it could not be so difficult to lift the corner of the tarp-like covering. Alive, it only would have taken the strength of one finger. Now, Starscream stretched out both his hands to take the corner, and he summoned up all the confidence he could.

_I know that I am powerful. I am not like other sparks. I can be seen! I can touch this, and for the sake of the future harm I will inflict on others, I will move this!_

Starscream could feel nothing, but he peered closely at the cover and pinched the edges. His eyes, shot with purple, expanded as the flimsy corner began to lift.

"Yes! That's it!" he cried. In his excitement, the dark energon vanished. Spark pulsing with glee, Starscream urged himself onward.

_It is light! It will be easy. Pull it back all the way. I can do it._

Starscream released one hand, trusting the other to keep holding the cover. With his right hand, he now took the other corner. It began to rise. Keeping his absolute concentration, he leaned forward, peeling the cover further back, exposing the contents of the box.

_I am doing it! I am moving something! I knew it! I have the power!_

He lifted the thin material up higher, very carefully leaning further forward to peel it backwards. At that moment, wind blew and caught the tightly woven material. It came free from the box and flew forward into Starscream's face. Reflexively, as he would have in life, he raised his hands to catch the escaping tarp.

It stopped. The tarp-like cover caught in the air, then as the wind settled, it unraveled fully and fell limply over Starscream's body. All he saw was darkness, but although Starscream could not feel it, he realized instantly that he was holding up the entire cover.

* * *

A vehicon from a second level was installing bolts when he saw something flutter below. A tarp of some sort came off a box, but instead of tumbling away, it halted in the air. As the wind ceased, the cover went limp and hugged the definite form of a winged bot. He stared, but what he saw was not his imagination, not disappearing. He grabbed a few other vehicons and pointed downwards.

"Do you see that?" he voiced in a frightened whisper.

Four heads stared down.

"Is that a bot under that tarp?" one asked.

"Doesn't look like a vehicon."

The spotter of the anomaly whispered, "Four upper wings. It's Starscream."

The vehicons froze, sparks pounding, minds replaying all they had heard from other troopers. What was under the cover shifted slightly, as though alive. Then, without warning, the cover collapsed to the ground.

"What did we just witness?" one vehicon gasped fearfully.

"I don't know," another whispered. "This can't be possible."

"We _saw_ him. All of us. That just happened! Wh-what do we do?"

"What can we do? The Autobots will never believe us. Not a couple of vehicons."

* * *

"Starscream…"

He had lost his concentration and dropped the cover, but Starscream was beaming. His smile was just disappearing as he turned to regard Cliffjumper.

"What do you want now?" Starscream uttered. "By the look on your face, I can tell that you are not glad at all to see what I have accomplished."

"I would congratulate you, but I know you are going to hurt others."

"Yes." Starscream now gazed at his claws, holding them up and rubbing them together. "I believe I will even try to do so right now."

Cliffjumper hurried back from him, but Starscream was not going after him. Instead, he was already rushing off towards Megatron. A haze of purple appeared over him as he ran with fingers flexed.

"'Scream, no!"

Starscream came up behind Megatron's turned back. He reached back his arm, focused his gaze, then slashed.

"No, Starscream-!"

Megatron jolted with a inhale of pain, spun around with his arms full, but saw no one standing behind him. What then could have possibly scratched him? Megatron set down the plates and lifted his arm to investigate his side. There, were four lines, three clear ones, two of them deeper and welling up with energon. Still confused, Megatron stared all around himself and could not fathom how he had gotten scratched.

A drop of blue grew too heavy, rolled off his side, and struck the ground.

Starscream's cold smile grew wider.

"I have spilled his blood." His voice began to wave with glee. "And there is absolutely nothing that he can do to me now."

After all that pain, Starscream finally felt the deepest happiness he had ever felt. He tilted back his head, and cackled at the sky.

"Yes! There is nothing he can do! He cannot stop me!" He fell into another burst of laughter as Cliffjumper stared in horror. "Never have I been so powerful! He cannot touch me, harm me, fight me- no one can!"

After Starscream had exhausted himself with his maniacal laughter, he turned to Cliffjumper with an amused smile.

"Perhaps, Cliffjumper, I had it all wrong. Maybe being dead is the best thing that ever happened to me."

Those words and the certainty in his dark eyes chilled Cliffjumper to the core.

Starscream pursued Megatron, smirking in pleasure to hear Cliffjumper's pleading cries. At last, he was the one that was strong and feared. No longer was the Autobot scoffing, not taking him seriously like he and his comrades had in life. He was helpless, begging to Starscream, but with such power, Starscream could decide to ignore him.

He hovered by Megatron's face, itching to pierce one of his eyes. It would have be all so sweet to hear him scream, but it was too sudden. He should strike somewhere else, but still important. Therefore, Starscream sliced over the back of his elbow jolt with all the strength he could muster. The cuts opened up over metal, welling up immediately with blood. Megatron dropped his load and hissed in pain, trying to tilt up his arm but unable to get a proper look at the new cuts.

Vehicons glanced around at him at the sound of dropped metal, then looked away. Megatron glared around at them with suspicion, but could not believe any one of them could have zipped in and out so fast. Had something been thrown or shot at him? Starscream was backing away, chuckling at how foolish Megatron looked trying to figure out what had happened. And Starscream had chosen a good spot to strike, since in order to work and help others, Megatron was going to need to bend his arms and stress those cuts.

Starscream tore away to Shockwave's lab, claws itching to open up more wounds. After arriving though, the tube containing the Predacon towered before him and gave him a much darker idea. A grin spread over his face as he looked at the tube, the cords of the ceiling, Shockwave, and all the eagerly waiting Predacons.

_You won't get another. _

Everything was calm. Then, a tube above them collapsed, severed in the centre and now hanging and spilling energon. Everyone jolted, and Shockwave stared in bafflement until all power in the lab cut out. Shockwave's screen darkened, in that instant becoming useless. With the sunlight leaking in, there was enough light to see and still, the yellow liquid encasing the Predacon glowed quite brightly. Except, after a scraping sound, that liquid broke free and began to gush out from the bottom.

"What is happening?" Predaking cried.

"I am not certain," Shockwave answered while hurrying toward the tube. He spotted damage near the bottom, but as the hot liquid approached his feet, he was forced to move away.

Another scraping and scratching sound, then more liquid burst free on another side. Faster, the liquid escaped. The Predacon inside was lifeless, flopping forward in control of nothing.

"No!" Predaking hollered. "What do we do?"

"Mend the holes," Shockwave ordered. "I will restore power."

The more heat-resistant Predacons stomped through the liquid, finding rough tears in the lower metal below the glass. They needed to melt the holes shut, fast, but there was not enough room for Predaking to transform. As he thought it, Darksteel transformed and crammed himself into the space. With compressed wings and no tail, he could do it. He breathed steady fire at the bottom of the tube until it properly shut, stopping the liquid loss halfway. Then, he rose up his hindlegs to take the severed tubes of the ceiling and melt them back together.

Something up there was scratching Darksteel's face constantly. Back and forth, Darksteel's metal was sliced until blood dribbled into his eyes. Yet he was much too determined to save his future sibling, thus he ignored the pain. Then, it stopped all at once. Shockwave succeeded on his end, and once the power returned, everyone turned to check the Predacon. The other three stared in nervous quietude, until Shockwave turned and quickly typed in commands on the computer. A moment after he had finished, the keyboard cracked and sparked as though smashed by a weight.

Too late though, electricity engulfed the Predacon in the remaining liquid. Now, as it was meant to, the liquid drained downwards into the ground as yellow eyes brightened with life. The Predacons gaped with excitement as the fourth Predacon's claws curled, tail twitched, and head turned with awareness and interest.

No one knew all that was happening behind the scenes. Starscream screeched and dove at Cliffjumper, tearing around the lab and swiping at him. The other bot leapt sideways and grabbed onto him again, freezing him and forcing him to share his memories.

_Starscream was talking with Arcee, laughing and swinging his legs over the top of a cliffside. _

"No!"

Starscream yanked away and attacked. Each time, he was delayed too much as he had to realize he was in the past. He felt so much like Cliffjumper that he needed to realize that he was not, that Cliffjumper was doing to him what Starscream was doing to his victims in nightmares. It was far too hard to concentrate, to keep the dark energon strong and flaming around him, and to do everything he could to stop everyone from saving the Predacon. When he went to attack them, Cliffjumper kept taking the opportunity to grab him and connect their sparks.

"You are ruining everything!" Starscream shouted.

He despised Cliffjumper's spread hands that somehow kept being able to touch him. Starscream shot forward and tore his fingers over Cliffjumper's face, but that was when the next memory was forced upon him.

_When he listened to Optimus speak, there was both respect and love in his spark for his leader._

How did Cliffjumper keep getting him? How could he move fast enough before Starscream could hurt him?

"Starscream," Cliffjumper said. "Listen to me-"

Starscream tried to tear into him again, but only entered another calming memory. He broke away, shaking his head, hating how the peaceful feelings lingered. So much warmth, confusion about what was now and what was the past, and who he was.

_Now. I am trying to kill that Predacon. Concentrate!_

"That Predacon has done nothing to you!"

Starscream barked, "Predacons are savage creatures! How could you be so naive, Cliffjumper? Look what their natural form is! A beast, not a bot! And remember the history of the ancient Predacons!"

Once again, when he rushed at Cliffjumper, he was involuntarily pushed into a memory.

_Arcee was upset over something. He let his arm fall around her shoulders, hoping that it could do something to ease her suffering._

_Tailgate, she was remembering his death that day, strongly and suddenly._

"Stop, you listen to me!" Starscream growled. "Why do you act like I am the unreasonable one?"

"Times are different," Cliffjumper said. "The Predacons are intelligent now, able to communicate-"

"_Intelligent_?" Starscream cried.

"They are not predators anymore!" Cliffjumper exclaimed. "They are like us, whether you like them or not! Though they may have bestial forms, their sparks are the same kind as ours! They still are products of Primus, made of the same light!

Starscream glowered.

"I know why you hate the other three, but that one Predacon doesn't even _know_ you. Can you imagine, if someone who didn't know you attacked you because they hated fliers? Because some random Seekers hurt them?"

The glass had been lifted, and the Predacon spilled out. Shockwave raised a portion of an energon cube towards the fanged face, waiting to establish their bond. The eyes set in the blue face were wide, connecting the purple bot with her life-giver.

"I want the others to suffer," Starscream uttered. "I wanted to kill that Predacon so that they would feel that they had lost something."

"To make them sad?" Cliffjumper murmured.

"Yes, to spend their days broken by grief!"

"You think that they can feel sadness?"

Starscream stared at him, his surprise over those words managing to calm him a little.

Cliffjumper said, "If you think they really are such horrible monsters, then why do you accept that they have all these normal emotions? Sadness, and now, I think I see some happiness going on over there."

Starscream glanced back, seeing how the Predacons patted the new one and led her outside. He and Cliffjumper followed, witnessing how the three Predacons transformed, to show her that they were like her, and that she could transform too.

"I do not want them to be happy!" Starscream snarled. "How could they live such a good life, after how cruelly they killed me?"

"Because maybe they feel guilty," Cliffjumper said, "and want to be better bots now."

"You did not hear what Predaking said," Starscream argued, but the strength of his anger weakened as he remembered Darksteel and Skylynx, how they had questioned Predaking last night.

"_Did we go too far?" _Darksteel had asked.

And as Starscream stared at their smiles, their love for the new Predacon, he remembered what Skylynx had said.

"_When we went after him, I did not imagine that we were going to kill him."_

Skylynx had not planned to murder him, Starscream realized. Darksteel as well. Only Predaking, who had growled that he had every intention and right to kill him, had come for Starscream to do so. Maybe Skylynx and Darksteel had wanted to let him go, hurting him not nearly so much, but when Starscream had shot Predaking, they had overreacted and-

"No!" Starscream spun on Cliffjumper. "All your stupid memories are clouding my judgement! This is your fault!"

"Not really," Cliffjumper replied. "You kept coming after me and touching me."

"What?"

"When you are normal, you are like any other spark, Starscream. You can't hurt me, and whenever we touch, we can see each other's pasts."

"I don't care," he hissed. "Making me feel like an Autobot, softening my mind into such a naive state-"

"'Scream, I didn't poison you or anything. You just started to see another side to things, because your mind opened up a bit," Cliffjumper continued. "I know, it is really, really hard to forgive your murderers. I've been there. But the only bot I have ever known to be fully evil was Unicron."

Starscream hated how Cliffjumper's words were making sense. He didn't want them to, and he did not want the Predacons to be happy. So the savages had emotions like other regular Cybertronians, but that just meant that Starscream could hurt them more. It was better for his goals to understand that.

"Please, stand back and watch everyone for a while," Cliffjumper repeated.

Curse his spark for feeling so twisted and odd. Why was Starscream on the verge of nodding? How could he hold back from acting, from tearing out the new Predacon's eyes and cutting everyone's throats? He had just discovered such an amazing power, but his emotional strength was severely weakened.

Skylynx and Darksteel, accidentally murdering him? But no, even they should be punished for an accident! For not having self-control, for being beasts unpredictable in rage…

And yet, it was much harder to hold hatred for those who had not _decided_ to torture him to death. Starscream searched for his anger, wanting it to become as strong as it was before.

He could not stop staring, but his blank face hardly saw them. Cliffjumper snuck closer, and without prying for a memory or trying to share his own, he attempted to hold Starscream. For a confusing second, Starscream felt as though warm light from an afternoon sun was touching him. But how could that be, when he had not been able to feel anything in the living world even if he could move things? What more, he was inside the laboratory still, where the sunlight was not direct and so warm…

Starscream glanced down and saw one of Cliffjumper's arms around him. Swiftly, he jumped away and looked all over him.

"What? Why are you looking at me like I attacked you or something?"

Starscream turned and began to move away, walking carelessly through the wall.

"'Scream? Where are you going?"

He paused. He thought the answer to himself, _I need to think_, but he did not say it aloud to Cliffjumper. Instead, he tried to fly away with the hope that Cliffjumper would not be quick enough to see and follow him this time.

* * *

**Spooky sheet ghost Starscream.**


	9. Darkest Whispers

**The Dinobots' comics/graphic novels of Transformers Prime are going to be added into this story. The events in the novels and _the Covenant of Primus_ are also relevant.**

* * *

A long time ago, Vos had been destroyed by a plasma laser. Both buildings and living Seekers had been vaporized by the heat, melting together until city and bot became indistinguishable, charred ruins. Once, the tallest buildings of Cybertron scraped the sky but now, there was nothing but an eerily empty sky. It had been this way for so long that all spirits had moved on, leaving just the one lonely ghost to now sit in the silence.

The ground, burnt and dirty, was where Starscream now sat and tried to flick flakes of metal. With such fatigue, however, he could not even move the lightest of objects anymore.

Why was it that the harder he searched for anger, the sadder he became? He wanted to hurt everyone to feel better, but then Cliffjumper had pushed him so much, forcing him to be him, arguing with him, and saying those haunting words.

"_As angry as you are, no matter what you do, you are dead. You will always be dead."_

The rich lights and long shadows from the sunset all passed unhindered through Starscream's spark. Night crept in with stars poking into the black one-by-one, and the moons solidified and glowed brightly. Starscream knew that he was supposed to go to Megatron as promised to haunt him if he dared sleep. Yet he was too weary and internally conflicted to move. If he went, he was not sure what to say to Megatron. He could only go to terrify him, and if he didn't succeed, Megatron might laugh at his pitiful attempt. If Starscream didn't go, then Megatron would keep thinking that Starscream wasn't to be taken seriously.

He sighed and turned. He thought to himself, _Get up_, but he could not.

"How are you feeling, 'Scream?"

At the sound of the voice, Starscream groaned, "Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"I'm sorry. I haven't been here the whole time. I followed you earlier to see where you were, then I left you to be alone."

"So why are you back?" Starscream retorted.

"To tell you that something amazing just happened! With energon at an all time high, the Well finally produced life. A whole bunch of animals poured out into the world, and then after, a new Cybertronian came up-"

"Well, good for them," he seethed.

"What? These are the first lives forged in centuries! How could you not be excited about the restoration of our people at least?"

The answer became clear when Cliffjumper saw Starscream's red eyes aching with jealousy.

"I'll… let you be."

When Cliffjumper left, Starscream dropped his shoulders. Many minutes passed before he gained a crumb of curiosity to see how everyone was treating the newest Cybertronian, if Megatron was around, if he was recharging or had just been shoved away by the Autobots.

Starscream arrived in the _Nemesis_ beside the Well, where there was a surprising lack of Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee. The remaining Autobots and Knockout were however, fawning over the confused and innocent new bot. Even Ratchet looked absolutely overjoyed over the white and blue-streaked minicon among them in the front room of the warship.

Normally, Starscream would have huffed about the first lifeform being a minicon, but his envy made him want to _be_ that flightless, tiny bot. It was hard for him to recognize that feeling, but out of habit, his spark made his wings droop as he watched everyone being so kind and welcoming. A cluster of excited vehicons even swayed, wanting to come closer, but not feeling like they had the right to.

Starscream broke away and forced himself to find Megatron, despite how fatigued he felt. Would he be exhausted enough to rest another night? When he checked his quarters, he was both relieved and stressed to find Megatron sleeping through everything. The spirit entered the room, hovering in a corner, staring as he decided what he should do. Compared to last night, he felt even more grief-stricken and unprepared.

"_As angry as you are, no matter what you do, you are dead. You will always be dead."_

_"Starscream, your life is over! You don't want to be erased, but you have no choice anymore! You were never going to be alive again, not as yourself."_

He stood and shook, trying to forbid himself, but failed and fell over into sobs.

A moment later, Megatron shot up and growled, "Who is there?"

Starscream froze and looked up, silent in an instant.

"If there is someone here, reveal yourself now before I shoot." He transformed an arm and raised it, letting the glow of the blaster partially light the room. Normally, the rooms of the _Nemesis_ were always adequately lit, but not since the damage. Only a faint emergency light illuminated the back of the room where Megatron lay, and near the door were suspicious patches of darkness.

_Had I wanted to be heard? _Starscream questioned. It was the first time someone living had heard him, yet he had not concentrated to explicitly make it happen. Unconsciously, had he wanted Megatron to hear him?

_See me_, he then thought.

His form struggled to break through. First, he darkened, blending in with the black as Megatron stood up. Then, Starscream concentrated more.

_See me, see me_.

Grey began to take shape, then the other variations of colour began to appear. Red eyes, as bright as a living bot's, penetrated the darkness. To Megatron, it looked only as though he had stepped into the light and revealed himself. Promptly, Megatron was petrified with shock. Starscream padded forward, making it clearer than ever that it was him.

"Starscream?" Megatron refocused his eyes and stared, but Starscream was not going away.

Starscream did not even know what to say. He should have been furious; even if Skylynx and Darksteel had accidentally hurt him, everything Megatron had did to him had been intentional. But he was so very tired, and he felt like he was hovering in emotional nothingness.

Megatron saw the facial expression on Starscream that he had seen in last night's dream, except now it was more sorrowful. Was this yet another dream? He shifted, testing his body and senses, and it felt real.

"How is it possible," Megatron went on, "that in the most improbable way, you evaded death?"

Not that he expressed any happiness to see him. Arm still raised, he eyed Starscream with distrust regardless of his sad expression, because a random appearance of Starscream in his quarters at any time warranted it.

_He would shoot me_, Starscream thought. _If I moved suddenly toward him._

So he hurried forward a few steps just to see, and the purple blast came at nearly point blank range. It would have taken off his head or part of his face. As it passed through him and temporarily blinded Megatron, Starscream allowed himself to disappear. After fading, he stood back and watched Megatron check for the body, becoming more and more astonished when nothing but a smoldering hole in the wall remained.

_When he saw my body, he only wanted to be sure that I was gone. He would still just kill me again at the slightest inclination. _

It hurt, when he should have been sucked into wrath.

The smiles of the Autobots and the new Cybertronian stung him like whips.

Where in the universe had his anger gone? With Cliffjumper's words, nothing felt worthwhile anymore. His life felt truly over.

Megatron patted his face, trying to figure out if there was something wrong with him. On the other side, Starscream departed and wondered why he had come. It had been a waste, and everything that had happened had made him feel worse. When he returned to Vos, he let himself be as loud and emotional as he wanted in his isolation, until the night ended and the sun rose into afternoon height.

Perhaps now, it would be time for his funeral. Wouldn't the coffin have cooled by now? Now was a good time as any to bury him. And where would they do it? Starscream dragged himself back to the _Nemesis_, though fearful of further pain. After returning to the room his body had been before, Starscream found no coffin waiting there. In the med bay proper, nothing, not even Ultra Magnus. Megatron too was gone, but in the halls, a few vehicons worked unsupervised. Finally, at the front, Starscream found Ultra Magnus supported by Ratchet, Knockout, and Smokescreen, all together with the minicon on Ultra Magnus' shoulders.

As burnt and weak the commander looked, he just could not stay down. Even a slow walk, anything to bring him into the action once again, he accepted. Now, he was engaged with a conversation with Arcee over the communication link.

"Say nothing about the Predacons to the Dinobots for now. We must keep the groups separate until we can arrange a safe meeting between them, lest a fight ensue."

"Understood, Sir."

"The clone must be allowed to weaken, before we release it. Once it is safe to approach it, we will bring Predaking to aid us in taming the beast."

As confused as Starscream was, such words rooted him to the spot.

_Another Predacon?_

If it was not a new spark, then it was a clone. Yet a clone not created by Shockwave? By someone else? And now the Dinobots had reunited with the Autobots? Such a night had passed, and Cliffjumper must have been jumping between the groups. It was surprising that with the new life and the shocking events elsewhere, Cliffjumper had remembered him and checked in on him. After all, it seemed that every single living bot had forgotten completely about Starscream's body and funeral.

He did not care how big everything else was, when he could not fathom how they could just forget him so fast. They had abandoned him halfway. Even Knockout stopped no one to say, "Remember the coffin? Where should we put it now?" It was time, yet he was far from everyone's minds on the day that should have focused on him.

"_... Is your life really worth hanging onto?"_

Starscream searched, deeper and deeper into himself for anything to get rid of this pain. Melancholy. It was unbearable, an emotion he was not used to, and he desperately wanted anger to return to take it away.

"_Nothing will change!_" Cliffjumper's voice rang through him. Not truly in his mind, since his entire spark was his mind, so it resonated everywhere. Starscream wanted to hate Cliffjumper too, for inserting these awful thoughts into him. If he had never been around, Starscream would have been happier in his vengeful existence.

He searched for hate. Pleading, for motivation and rage to end this torture. Starscream bent over and fell deeper into himself.

"_Your life is over."_

He stared at the new minicon healthy and loved among the Autobots.

"_You will always be dead._"

…

…

...

_And why does that bother you?_

His eyes opened and cleared.

_You are exceptional, unlike any other spark in existence, with enough strength to interact with the world you were stolen from. Why does it matter that you feel nothing, when you could do anything a living bot could do, and even more? For what reason do you grieve your own death, when now you cannot be harmed or hindered? You can travel faster than a living spark, pass unseen anywhere you go as you choose, see into the depths of other sparks… Do you not see how death has liberated you?_

Starscream's arms fell down as realization and hope rushed through his spark like a cleansing wind.

_With such power, you are invincible. You could rule as a god._

Body no longer shaking, he stood straighter with his chest expanded.

_I could, _Starscream thought.

_Yes, precisely. Nothing is over for you. After you have tortured and killed all your enemies, you could then reign over the newest generation of Cybertronians as the absolute leader of the world. At last, all would fear and respect you in the way they never did in life._

His wings lifted as excitement pulsed through him.

_You could keep Megatron around as long as you liked, as your servant, slave… until you grew tired of him. You know how little he values your life. Now, let him feel what it feels like. Remember how he once wanted to dispose of you, after his amusement faded?_

Starscream did remember everything that had happened in that cave on Earth. Tiresome, predictable, Megatron had called him. Now, Starscream's feelings about the recent incident changed on the dime. What had saddened him became a memory that sparked murderous rage. Megatron had tried to kill him! And he would have right then if he had not already been dead!

_You feel the anger returning. Good, good. You had just needed to find it again. Grasp it and never release it. Let it stay with you forever._

Starscream thought, _I cannot allow him to live without experiencing what I did. That and all the pain, fear, and humiliation from everything else he did to me._

_Yes. He must suffer. He, and the Predacons._

Starscream agreed, _Yes._

_The Autobots too._

_For never respecting me, for treating me like scrap._

_Then, kill them. Kill everyone._

_I will kill them with my own bare hands._

_Then, as their sparks weaken and depart their body, you will destroy them._

_I will rip them permanently from existence._

A new change had overcome him. Something unlocked, complete acceptance of the dark corruption attached to his spark. Now, the purple surrounded him in a mist and lit up his eyes, and this time, it was not going away. Starscream felt instantly whole and confident, no longer saddened by his fate. Free, yes, just as he had thought… Death had freed him and given him god-like power.

With his rapture and eagerness to continue his plans of revenge, Starscream did not question how he had managed to turn himself around so suddenly. To himself, it felt as though he had only found sudden clarity in a self-discussion. And how could he linger on the means of his change, when a magnificent future awaited him?

It was time to find Megatron.

* * *

The sun was just crossing over the midway point, beginning its slow fall. Megatron faced a batch of gleaming plates, freshly cut and delivered by another group of vehicons. As he approached them, something moved in the reflection behind him. Black, like a shadow- like what had pounced at him before. He spun to confront his foe, yet now there was nothing there.

"_Megatron._"

A drawl all too familiar. Megatron's mouth opened, so close to speaking his name, but he stopped himself. That would be absurd. Starscream was gone.

Then, he heard the voice by his head again.

"_Master no more_. _Now, I am my own and yours._"

One of the plates fell over, with the loud clang visibly startling Megatron. Displeased with his own reaction, he calmed and muttered, "What is my malfunction? Never have I experienced such hallucinations before..."

He carried on as he had before, although those cuts on his elbow were a bother whenever he picked something up. But Megatron was unable to imagine Starscream's return, so it was beyond him to realize that his scratches were just the right size to be marks of Starscream's fingers. On upper levels, he passed out supplies for vehicons before coming back down. This process was repeated a few times, while a nearby crane lifted heavier pieces of roofing up to the uppermost floors.

At a point, the crane paused as the operator came down to rest and switch places with someone else. As a flying vehicon, he simply hopped off and flew down to the ground, but before he had even landed, the crane came to life.

It was too high for most bots to see the emptiness of the control cabin. And since cranes were always operating, everyone was too desensitized to it. It collected another one of the heavy roof pieces, then slowly turned in a new direction. Behind Megatron's back, invisible hands directed the controls, bringing the load directly over top of him.

Had it landed on his head just the right angle, Megatron's neck would have either broken or his head would have been smashed. Starscream expected no such luck, but hoped with his cold, tingling spark that he would not miss. Megatron was utterly oblivious as the load dropped, but Wheeljack noticed when something huge and black came falling from the sky. So sudden, so confusing, Wheeljack did not have the time to recognize what was falling or where from.

They said that Starscream's plans never worked, but in life that had not been true. At times, he had been successful without credit. Other times, the universe aligned against him to thwart him in the most improbable way. He leaned and attentively watched, hands still locked over the controls.

Megatron took a step forward, then a shadow fell over him. Metal struck the ground with a resounding clang and mixed into Megatron's loud bellow of pain. Even after the sound of the crash quieted, the roars and grunts did not cease. Everyone halted, except for Wheeljack, who swore and sprinted toward Megatron. The huge bot was trying to claw his way forward, push against the metal, then again try to drag himself forward. Wheeljack's eyes widened when he saw Megatron's crushed and trapped legs, already cracked and bloody with blue and purple.

"We're gonna need help over here!" Wheeljack called to the vehicons. Instantly, they sprinted over, drived instinctively by obedience to aid Megatron. Hands collected to lift the metal, and others dragged Megatron out into the clear. As this happened, Wheeljack finally realized what had happened and stared up at the crane. Now, it was still. No one was climbing frantically down, but Wheeljack could not remember if he had just heard someone flying away. The perpetrator was gone by now though, it seemed.

He called the _Nemesis_, "Get Ratchet! Medical emergency! It's Megatron- I think someone just tried to kill him by dropping something on 'im from a crane! His legs are crushed and leaking energon fast!"

_Not kill him…_ Starscream thought as he stood over Megatron's groaning body. _Because this about what I wanted, even better than I imagined. He won't be going anywhere for a while…_

Ratchet arrived through a portal and forced the vehicons to carry away Megatron, but until then, Starscream relished every second he lay in agony. The puddle of blood had grown large around his dented legs, such that Starscream had never seen escape Megatron in any situation. It was glorious, and the fact that _he_ had made it happen made it more so. Inflated with rapture, Starscream cackled a loud, insane laugh meant only for himself to hear. No one else was aware of the mad, frightening sounds falling over the bloody scene, for in their realm there was only fear and silence apart from Ratchet's commands.

The vehicons rushed Megatron into the med bay and placed him where Ultra Magnus had just been. Promptly after setting him down, Ratchet shooed them away. As they skittered out, Knockout appeared at the doorway. He saw Ratchet pause and stare at Megatron, and he understood the Autobot's hesitation to aid him.

"I can help you," Knockout murmured.

Ratchet glanced quickly at him. "Fine, fine."

Without another moment's hesitation, both got into it. Megatron was forced into power down, and he went completely still and silent. Then, the bleeding needed to be stopped, painkillers and fresh energon given to him. Everything had to be roughly welded shut, keeping his legs in their current malformed state out of necessity. The two doctors managed to work well together, each on of side of the larger bot and out of each other's way. Truthfully, Ratchet looked relieved to have Knockout there, since he helped him get through this faster and pressured him to give Megatron proper treatment.

"I know it's a really bad injury," Knockout said, "but I am sure he will recover fully and walk again. I will need to reshape his legs though and fix his knees."

"As much as I don't want this to be so, I agree. He should be fine after surgery, but he will have to stay here immobile much longer than Ultra Magnus. As much as he may want to walk, this time, he must stay down and rest."

"I know this probably put you in an uncomfortable position," Knockout went on. "So, if you would prefer, I could take it from here. I've also treated him before, so I assure you that I can manage him."

Ratchet sighed, "Very well, it is not like I could easily decline such an offer. I trust that you will do your job and not harm him, but we must remember that _someone_ did this to Megatron. We have to keep a close eye on him as he recovers."

"I will take the main responsibility of that," Knockout promised. "Not much else for me to do nowadays, but still I will need some help. I probably can't handle an assassin on my own."

"It is hard to spare bots at a time like this, but I will see what can be done."

Ratchet left Megatron with Knockout. Right away, Knockout glanced over and took a proper look at him after the rush. He was a bit amazed that Megatron had taken a hit, and that someone had managed to hurt him so severely. Even after Megatron recovered, would he survive long out there? Knockout's face was uncertain, worried even.

Megatron jolted up prematurely, eyes flaring to life despite his forced power down. He hollered as he shot up; Knockout cried and ran back into the wall.

After, Megatron calmed and dropped his shoulders. He looked around himself, then stopped when he spotted Knockout recovering from his scare.

"Knockout," he uttered.

"Ah-em, y-yes, Lor- Ahem, Megatron? How are you feeling?"

With a painkiller pumping through him, he couldn't have felt the pain. Nonetheless, Megatron did not answer that question.

"Are you able to run a psychoanalysis upon me?" he asked.

"That isn't really my forte, if I am honest. Though, if I may ask, why do you want one?"

"Well, if _I_ am to be honest, then I must admit to you, doctor, that something unusual has been occurring to me. Hallucinations, strange dreams… all of which are unprecedented."

"I mean no offense, but dark energon _has_ given you strange visions before."

Megatron replied, "This feels like a different experience, though you may be right."

"Unicron left much dark energon within you, though much of it leaked out today. Keep refueling with regular energon, and maybe your troubles will cease," Knockout suggested. "But, what is the nature of your hallucinations and dreams? Did such a dream now just wake you?"

His last sentence sounded uncertain, since no one was meant to dream in that kind of power down. The patient was supposed to be so deep in unconsciousness that they would not easily wake during surgery.

"For reasons I do not comprehend, I have been hallucinating Starscream very recently, but with remarkable clarity. I thought I had heard and seen him last night in my quarters, and today I heard his voice beside me. The most intriguing thing, is that the night before I saw him, I had also dreamt of Starscream. He was upset that he had been melted, and he swore that he would return the next night."

"Really?"

"He swore vengeance upon me for the past, that he would terminate me. His body became tainted with the colour of dark energon. Then, in the dream I had just had, I saw him again with the same appearance. He told me that there would be no escape for me, and then.. I do not understand how I imagined this, but I dreamt that I was in Starscream's position, in his body if you will, as he was being beaten by me. It was incredibly vivid, and the pain felt real, thus it startled my body into awakening."

Knockout said, "I will not lie, this is all very strange to me and beyond my profession. I do not think Ratchet's strong suit is mental analysis either. If anyone could properly analyze you, it would be Shockwave. But if I had to think of a reason, the first thing that comes to mind is Starscream's death. It must be having an unconscious effect on you."

"You think I am unconsciously bothered by his death?"

"I don't know. When we speak of him now, what do you feel?"

Megatron answered, "I do not mourn him in the slightest, but it is strange to have him gone, after having him at my side for a considerable length of time."

"Alright then, so even if you do not feel a sense of sadness, you are still going through an adjustment period. Does that sound logical? You have gone through a very sudden transition, mind you. You returned to life and completely realigned yourself mentally. Your day-to-day life now is _extremely_ different, with another setting, role, expectations, and bots around you. It could be difficult to cope. Even if you rejected the old lifestyle, your mind might want a bit of it back for the familiarity. Starscream probably just seems like a big part of that other life."

"So then, you are saying that the change was too sudden. I had needed a slower transition, but now my mind is struggling to separate from the expectations of my past life."

"Exactly, but I am sure you will get used to everything soon enough," Knockout said. "Especially with this time to rest here somewhere familiar. It should allow the Starscream visions to stop occurring."

"You made a logical analysis, despite claiming that this was not your strength."

"I just gave it a bit of thought, but thank you. I hope it is as simple as I put it."

"Likewise. It is not pleasant to imagine my former lieutenant stalking me with vengeful intentions. It was the greatest relief when I gazed upon his cadaver, that no longer would I have to worry that he would try to stab me in the back."

Something clanged on the floor behind Knockout. The doctor jerked then turned, calming when he saw that a scalpel had fallen onto the floor. Then, as he picked it up, he grew a bit confused. Had he or Ratchet been careless and left it at the edge of the table? That was rather dangerous, and Knockout thought everything had been placed in the centre.

As Knockout set it back, he asked, "What do you think about his killing? I mean, how the Predacons had gone and torn him apart as they did. We found him worse than what you saw, mind you. It was my job to repair him."

"Ah, the Predacons. I am not entirely sure why they killed him, but I am sure that Starscream had behaved as he usually did and irked them to no end."

"It was rather excessive though, don't you think?" Knockout replied. "I felt bad for 'Scream, you know. Looked like a slow and painful death."

Megatron was starting to look bored with the discussion. "Does it matter anymore, doctor? I loathe the Predacons, but they have done me a favour. A favour to everyone, perhaps. Starscream would not have changed, and he might have harmed or killed one of you in the future."

There was a bang behind them. Knockout turned and Megatron looked up as for no apparent reason, the door opened on its own. The med bay had been repaired by the vehicons, so the completed door smoothly parted and sucked in all its pieces. The empty hall was revealed for a moment, before the door automatically closed once again.

"That's odd," Knockout commented. "Thought someone hit the button out there for a second, but must be the ship glitching out."

Megatron seemed a little on edge. "I am reminded now, that someone does wish to come and assassinate me. After all, I presume that after what happened today, that is their intention."

"It might be one of the vehicons," Knockout said.

"It would make the most sense. Earlier, as you might have heard, I was startled into falling off a building. I believed I had seen a bot lunging at me, and I moved myself out of harm's way. Could it perhaps be possible, that a vehicon had attempted to attack me then with some sort of weapon?"

"Normally I would say that you shouldn't worry about a simple vehicon, but now I am unsure." Knockout gestured at Megatron's legs. "They can hide anywhere, and strike at any time. It will be hard to figure out who it is exactly, but I heard they just installed cameras in their residence. We might overhear the culprit boasting, if he would be so foolish."

The door opened again, then shut. Knockout looked back over his shoulder and exhaled. Once again, it opened on its own, forcing him to huff, "What is going on? It was not doing that at all earlier today!"

Knockout strolled up to it, checked the halls to make sure they were empty, then called to request a repair. He paced impatiently, but the doors did not act up again before two vehicons showed up.

As they worked, Knockout kept a close eye on them as a part of his duty. The vehicons pressed the buttons on either side, and the door functioned as it should. They then opened up the mechanics, searching for connection issues. The vehicons spent a long time there, scratching their arms in uncertainty.

"You said it was opening on its own?" one of them repeated.

"Yes," Knockout answered curtly.

Megatron watched them for a while with nothing better to do. Eventually though, in the far right corner of the room to Megatron's side, a figure appeared. Out of the vehicon's line of sight and behind Knockout's turned back. Megatron silently turned his head and saw Starscream glaring at him. Not believing him to be real, Megatron said nothing and turned his head away. In his peripheral vision, he was aware of the Starscream-shape, but he chose to ignore it.

Still, those two purple eyes remained as eerie, bright circles. Starscream would just not stop staring at him.

A vehicon reported, "I am sorry, Sir, but we could not locate the problem with the door. It appears to be perfectly functional."

"Well, _clearly_ there is a problem if it was just acting up!" Knockout responded.

There was movement in Megatron's peripheral vision. Curious, he glanced over and saw Starscream miming something with a cold expression.

"It has not done so since we have been here…"

"Well," Knockout retorted, "I assure you that we did not just _imagine _it. And the problem wouldn't have just magically disappeared!"

Starscream was pointing at his sharp fingers, then at Megatron, then he pretended to scratch his own leg with his claws. Megatron exhaled and looked away, thinking how nonsensical his visions were getting. The Starscream blur in his peripheral vision shook with indignation, then vanished all at once.

The other vehicon said, "Maybe when we opened it up, we fixed it unknowingly. Everything should work as it should now."

Knockout was content with this answer, and Megatron was content that Starscream was gone.

Once they had left, Knockout told Megatron, "Now then, if you would like… I can put you under again and begin restructuring your legs."

"And why would I object? I will gladly relinquish the sight of my own marred limbs."

Knockout soon after made Megatron fall unconscious, hoping now that he would not spring up mid-surgery and terrify him. With the same tools and techniques he had used to fix Starscream, he repaired Megatron. First though, he froze blood-flow and opened up Megatron's legs, exposing the most vulnerable parts to mend them. As he turned however to grasp a tool, his hand patted an empty spot.

He raised his hand and glanced around the table in confusion. Eyes sweeping back and forth, Knockout became certain that the tool was missing. Even with a glance at the ground, he did not see that it had fallen. And wouldn't he have heard it fall as well? Knockout checked under the table and berth, then rose to see if he had left it lying on the berth or Megatron somehow.

Knockout breathed, "Where could it have possibly…"

The door opened behind him. He whirled around, saw it as it closed, and groaned aloud. Vexed, he called for tech support once again.

* * *

Cliffjumper saw Starscream walking up the hall, halting when he saw that he was entirely purple and grim-faced.

"'Scream, what happened?"

"What happened?" Starscream hissed.

Cliffjumper backed away as he approached, and he noticed that something was grasped in Starscream's hand. But soon after, Starscream set down the tool in the middle of the hall before continuing to come closer.

"Hey, wait, wait… What are you doing?" Cliffjumper asked, fear creeping into his voice.

"So you came back again," Starscream uttered, "no matter how many times I told you to leave me in peace."

"Of course I did," Cliffjumper replied while floating back. "You were really down earlier. I know you needed space though… But maybe you had a bit too much of it. How about you just take it easy… We can talk again, calm down like after the first time you saw me-"

Starscream's eyes narrowed. "I gave you the opportunity to join the Allspark, but you never took it. Instead, you plagued me and wounded me, then got in my way with the Predacon. You will not get in my way again."

He rushed at Cliffjumper, who shot off in an instant. The first time Starscream had chased him had been out of desperation, but Cliffjumper now saw true, merciless intent in his gaze. Evil intent. Starscream wanted to destroy him and was going to relish it.

Just as they began to speed up, something unprecedented occurred. Cliffjumper did not want to stay and talk this time. Too afraid, he vanished simply before Starscream's eyes. After his disappearance, Starscream halted and widened his eyes, not understanding at all how it had happened. They could travel at incredible speeds, but Cliffjumper looked like he had simply teleported away. He was gone now, with no hint as to where he had fled.

Starscream growled and turned back.

* * *

One of the two new vehicons picked up the tool that had been lying in the hall. He brought it with him as they came up to the door. By then, Knockout had given up and grabbed another tool from the spares to continue working. When the vehicons came in, one asked, "This is yours, is it not?"

He held out the tool. Knockout looked back and expanded his eyes.

"Why yes, it is! How did it ever get by the door?"

"We didn't find it there," said the vehicon. "It was lying out in the hall."

"What? How?" Knockout exclaimed.

He ripped it from the vehicon's hands and gawked at it. The vehicons shrugged and went to inspect the door. This time, Knockout could not move on so easily. He held up the tool, staring long at it and racking his mind. He _had_ been using it, hadn't he? Ratchet hadn't taken it out with him earlier? No, Ratchet wouldn't have needed to, and he wouldn't have dropped it… And he could not have gotten this far into surgery without using that tool either.

He set it down and rubbed his head. Smokescreen? Was Smokescreen using the phase shifter to prank him? But hadn't the bot been sent to Iacon today while everyone else was on a mission and Ultra Magnus had taken over comm. link duties?

Surgery, he had a surgery to do. Knockout tried to push back the confusion, deciding that he would eventually get to the bottom of the mystery.

Even though the vehicons never figured out what was wrong with the door, they acted like they had fixed the problem. Then, the rest of Knockout's surgery went smoothly. Not all was completed; the outside was rough, but the inside of Megatron's legs had been mostly repaired. The rest was up to Megatron's body to grow back and repair.

Megatron woke up smoothly and looked at Knockout.

"No Starscream nightmares this time?" Knockout asked.

"Not this time. I believe acknowledging the issue helped resolve it."

"Good to hear. Now, try to get some rest. You may not feel tired, but you will have to stay still for a while and it is a good way to get past the boredom."

Megatron asked, "How much time has passed?"

"Don't worry about it. You can't go back to work anytime soon, and they will manage without you."

Megatron sighed.

"You underwent two surgeries in one day. It's night now," Knockout caved.

"Ah, then you must be the one fatigued."

Knockout laughed lightly. "I suppose, but I can stay up. Besides, someone needs to guard you."

"Can you handle guarding me?" Megatron asked.

"Good question. I'm still waiting for my super weapon."

Knockout snagged a data pad and stepped politely out into the hall with it. Before he fooled around with it, he called the Autobots to press Megatron's question. Eventually, a tired Wheeljack came to pass him the Immobilizer. Knockout was surprised to have this trust, wondered if they saw him as a relaxed bot, not a malicious threat like other Decepticons. Or, perhaps it was not done out of trust but because the Autobots had other relics to fight him with.

Inside the room, it took Megatron a short amount of time to fall asleep. Despite the powerdowns, his body demanded rest.

"Megatron," _Starscream hissed in the dream._

"_And what do you want now, Starscream?" Megatron turned and smirked, self-confident._

"I knew that you cared nothing about my death," _he growled. _"Now, there is no doubt in my mind after what you said."

"_Starscream," he tsk-tsked. "Why would I mourn someone who tried to terminate me in the past? Someone as disloyal as you, who constantly failed me?"_

_Starscream quaked with wrath. _"You know I had changed after I re-joined the Decepticons! I did _everything_ to prove my loyalty to you! The failures you refer to only occurred because of the stress placed upon me when you replaced me with Shockwave!"

_Megatron looked at him, bemused._

_Starscream went on,_ "You too have tried to kill me. But I grew dependent on you, and I was so greatly affected by your death. I cried out when you perished and was held back from avenging you by Shockwave…"

_At that time, Megatron was flooded with the memories, so realistic that he was surprised. He was Starscream, reaching out in vain and squirming against Shockwave's side. He felt the rush of Starscream's grief and desperation, before realizing that there was nothing that could be done. He had to run, escape with Shockwave while he still could._

"I never spoke ill of you. I praised you after your death, voiced my sorrows…"

_Megatron, as Starscream, spoke to Darksteel and Skylynx._

"_But we must not underestimate them either. Their treacherous scout was able to fell the mighty Megatron, rest his spark…"_

_Megatron felt the genuineness of his words, and his wings lowering on his back._

"But you! You feel nothing for me despite my devotion to you! You spoke such offensive words about me after my gruesome death! I _hear_ you, Megatron! I heard everything, because I. Am. _Real_!"

_Megatron was thrown into an agonizing memory to shock him into waking. For only seconds, he experienced Skylynx biting a chunk out of his arm-_

As expected, Megatron woke with a gasp. He escaped the nightmare, but then was blessed with no further moments of relief. His eyes narrowed in horror as they gazed into Starscream's clear, purple eyes right above him. As Megatron lay injured upon the medical berth, Starscream crouched over him with his frigid hands around his neck.

Suddenly, all his confidence in this being a mere hallucination was gone. Megatron lashed out to throw off Starscream, but his arm only passed through him. Starscream remained where he was, cold legs resting on his chest and face bent over his.

Confused fear took over Megatron's expression and stilled his movements. Slowly, Starscream smiled at him without saying a word. On his own, Starscream drew back to stand at the end of the berth, then he tore his claws into Megatron's freshly welded legs.


	10. A Coffin, and Uncertainty

From behind the door came a booming cry that shook Knockout's spark. Next, thunderous footsteps, a pounding fist against the button, before the door opened and Megatron poured out. At once, he crashed to the floor, unable to go further with damaged legs pumping out fresh energon.

"What in the name of the Allspark?" Knockout cried.

The door had already closed; Knockout slapped the button to glance into the room, but there was no one inside.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Starscream," Megatron snapped, "he was in there, truly there! I was never hallucinating, Knockout. That was his spirit, and he just attacked me!"

Megatron rolled over and showed the bleeding cuts down both his lower legs. Knockout frowned and leaned forward.

"Megatron, those don't look like scratches at all," he answered. "Look, all the tears follow the weld marks I just made. _You_ opened them up by stressing your legs. You were supposed to lie still!"

"It was _Starscream_," Megatron growled. "I only got up because he was ripping open my wounds. He must have purposefully torn along the lines!"

Knockout leaned back and raised his brows, eyes fully judgmental.

"Umm… Perhaps you need a little something to calm you down…" he began, voice concerned. "With such stress, the visions won't disappear so swiftly…"

"I was _not_ hallucinating him!" Megatron barked. "He did this! I felt him upon me, unnaturally cold, and then I watched him tear into my wounds!"

Knockout backed up toward the door. "Hold on, a moment…"

"He is in there!" Megatron hollered.

But of course, Knockout still saw nothing inside. He filled a syringe and snuck out with it behind his back. After shuffling closer to Megatron, Knockout shot out and quickly injected it into his arm. Megatron tried to slap him away, but he grew groggy then fell unconsciousness.

Knockout called for help to lift Megatron back into the berth so that he could operate on him. This time, however, Knockout powered on the bonds to trap Megatron to the berth. Then, just in case he was strong enough to escape them, Knockout decided he was going to keep him drugged and weak so that he would not be able to injure himself again.

"What has gotten into him?" Knockout muttered.

He reported the incident to Ratchet, but the Autobot only agreed that dark energon and having been possessed by Unicron had likely damaged his mental state. Afterwards, Knockout returned to the hall and wearily leaned against the wall outside the door.

As Starscream walked away, he was getting shivers of delight. If only he could have felt the metal tearing, but what did it matter? He had seen his own fingers ripping him, watched his energon gush out, heard his helpless, pained cries before also being treated by the sight of Megatron, _running_ from him!

Cliffjumper had not been around to pester him this time, and yet, Starscream was soon bothered by a collective excitement on the warship. He frowned as everyone awoke at the news of an arriving ship carrying Autobots, but not just any random crew. No, it had to be yet another major distraction away from his funeral: the famous Aerialbots of the Autobots.

Starscream hissed to himself. Very few Seekers had joined the Autobots instead of following him into the Decepticons, so he not only felt betrayed, but he saw them as arrogant. He followed along to witness the landing, partly wanting the Aerialbots to be gone, partly excited to have them here to obliterate.

Silverbolt strode out first, then Starscream's past friend, Jetfire. That friendship had ended long ago in the start of the War, and Starscream still considered it to be entirely Jetfire's fault. Now, Starscream stood tense as a beam, staring at Jetfire and ignoring Skydive, Slingshot, Fireflight, and Air Raid who had followed him. Already, his feeling of neglect had been strong, but Jetfire's arrival only stabbed him with more reason to feel abandoned.

The timing made it worse. The Autobots were ecstatic, and Bulkhead announced, "We're glad to have you. Not only did we need more Autobots and ships, but we really needed some air support!"

"Happy to be of service, Bulkhead," Silverbolt smiled. "You can rebuild Cybertron all you want, but you will need a proper Air Command for protection and order."

Starscream bared his teeth and his wings shot up. "Rebuild the Air Command?" he cried. "Without _me_? You dare take what was _mine_?"

That would mean that Vos would be rebuilt, the capital where he had once been Air Commander. His wrath overwhelmed him, pushing a poisonous dichotomy into his mind: either Vos and the Air Command returned with him, or not at all. Starscream related the Seeker matters with his life, and now felt personally wounded that the Autobots would reconstruct his life but keep it from him.

He did not think he could bear seeing Vos restored but being unable to live in it, watching others flying when he could not enjoy the feeling himself, and mostly importantly- seeing someone else living in his old position. To avoid such agony, Starscream decided that any attempts to rebuild Vos had to be stopped and the Aerialbots killed.

But not yet, with everyone together. It had to be slow and excruciatingly painful, starting with Jetfire when he was all alone.

* * *

It only stood to reason that his coffin would be somewhere near an active smelting pit. With that understood and with time on his hands, Starscream zipped around the world, visiting the places known to have the most active pits. It was a tedious task despite his speed, and he only at last discovered the right pit around his sixtieth try.

There was a wide rectangle left beside a metal outcrop, quite unassuming to an ignorant passerby, but clearly a coffin to Starscream. It was as plain as could be, since it was not finished. As part of the process, the Autobots had poured lava into the coffin, placed the lid over it, then waited for the inside to melt and cool to permanently shut it. The metal container around his body was thick and had a higher melting point, yet it was still warped.

He imagined how the inside must have looked, his body a revolting gray soup.

_How could they have done this to me! _he thought, as well as, _This is Megatron's fault._

The coffin had been elevated off the ground to prevent it from sticking to it. Balanced but stuck to some table-like legs, it stood alone. Starscream bent down and pushed against both stand and coffin, huffing and straining his focus. It was heavier for him than it would have been in life, and he struggled for each centimetre with the stand scratching a white trail on the ground.

Step-by-step, he pushed and paused for breaks, until at last the stand tipped at the edge. Starscream glared down and watched the pit swallow his remains, his face still and purple eyes emotionless. While he hated what had been done to him, Starscream's spark was hard, no longer saddened. After all, his body was already gone from him and useless; there was nothing left to mourn.

* * *

On that sunny day, the vehicons were relieved that a peaceful night had passed. They were divided into regions to work, then they left the residence completely empty. Nearly. Alone, Starscream took out the lounge and elevator cameras, then he strode through the leisure area and left long scratches down walls and beams, and across tables. The quiet elevator was assaulted, with scratches on its doors as though someone desperately wanted in, then marks on the inside as though someone wanted out.

Starscream then chose the single room of the vehicon thief to attack. The outside he left deceivingly unmarked, but inside, Starscream ripped deep scores into his berth.

Elsewhere, Starscream watched Shockwave finish moving to another hidden laboratory. Some things, like the computer and tube for cloning, had been left in the dark while Shockwave made his exit and tried to disappear from everyone. Now, only Starscream knew where he would be.

"I will not let you escape me," he chuckled. "I wonder just how I should make you suffer, for being so callous about my murder at the hands of your abominable creatures…"

Starscream allowed Shockwave, for now, to re-establish himself, to get comfortable in his absolute isolation.

A bit away, the Predacons were spending the day alone to educate their newest member. For now, the Predacons talked to her as much as possible to stir the knowledge of Primus' language inside her. When she heard words, they locked into her active knowledge, allowing her to speak from the git-go. Yet she was blasted with information, mind burning to understand the most basic summary of the war. Starscream had not seen everything, but he felt sure that no one had mentioned even his name to her.

Since the new Predacon enjoyed flying so much, the others allowed her to spend hours exploring the land. They followed along in beast-forms Starscream could not read, but whenever they did transform, the three Predacons had never looked happier. Their steely and sometimes shy behaviour after Starscream's murder was all gone now, and did not seem to ever be coming back.

So Starscream had been forgotten again. By his own murders at that, who had in less than a week moved on and found happiness, as though killing him had meant nothing. Starscream shook in such intense rage that he sobbed without feeling any sadness. He despised that new Predacon to the bottom of his spark, wanted to tear out her eyes right then to horrify the Predacons. But he would not, yet. He was so enamoured by the idea that he decided that in the future, he was going to kill her in front of Predaking, Skylynx, and Darksteel. They would be helpless, wailing and begging for him to stop, but just like they had not stopped for him, he would only continue.

* * *

Night descended upon them, the time to relax in the warmer indoors with company and security. A time that bots looked forward to, slowly being claimed by Starscream.

The first group of vehicons returned home, yet the first arrivals halted at the entrance, frozen there and blocking others from coming in. Before Bumblebee had left his group, he noticed their horror, and shoved his way to the front.

Upon beholding the room, he gasped, "What in the name of the Allspark happened here?"

Bumblebee wandered in, his hands brushing the scratches, while the fearful vehicons hung back. Very quietly behind his back, the vehicons murmured amongst themselves. The Autobot whirled around to ask, "Do you know who did this?"

The vehicons stared at each other, before one stammered, "It…"

"One of you?" Bumblebee went on. "If this is some kind of protest…"

The vehicons shook their heads vigorously.

"Starscream," one choked. "He haunts the building."

Bumblebee blinked at them, and unsure how to react, he gave a forced chuckle.

"It is true," another pressed. "He came to many in dreams, each on separate floors. Some have even seen him… But we did not think you would believe us."

"We'll see about that." Bumblebee shook his head. He did not want to mention the hidden cameras to the vehicons, so he started to leave despite their worry.

"What can we do?" someone yelped.

Bumblebee frowned, "Go inside while we figure this out."

They were too afraid to make a move, and now Arcee was coming up with Skydive and their group of vehicons.

"What's going on?" Arcee asked. "Why are you all outside?"

She and Skydive peeked inside and got the rundown. Skydive immediately chuckled, "Starscream's ghost? Really?"

"There are too many vehicons to manage," Arcee said. "One of them must have flown back here and caused this damage."

Bumblebee nodded. Then, the three Autobots struggled for the next half hour to herd the alarmed vehicons inside, partially consoling them, partially threatening them. The final groups from the _Nemesis_ and the Hydrax Plateau arrived, and then it took more time to push them inside. At last, the Aerialbots were posted as guards outside the building, to assure that no one fled or got into trouble.

Without the Autobots around, the vehicons walked shakily around the building. No one was comfortable hanging in their usually beloved lounge, but when they tried to use the elevator, they yelped and fled when the doors opened. The floor, walls, and ceiling within the elevator were torn up by Starscream-sized scratches. Vehicons filed into the staircase, feeling slightly safer to go where no scratches could be found. The halls above were clear, but no vehicon felt safe going into their rooms alone. With murmured arrangements, vehicons either shared rooms or stayed in the hall.

No one turned off the lights, wherever they were.

A vehicon came down to his room, legs wobbling. The once-thief unlocked his door, flicked on the lights, and immediately screamed. The sight of the berth was the last straw for the trooper. He tore past vehicons who were too scared to stop him this time; in fact, his scream triggered the others to begin running. The entire floor cleared out, charging down the stairs, before bursting outside. The Aerialbots gasped when a scattering of vehicons, jets and cars, separated and left screeching into the night.

The six Seekers caught up to the jet vehicons, but were not entirely sure how to bring them down without hurting them. They jumped onto them, using their heavier weight to push them down lower. In the meanwhile, they spoke to the vehicons, demanding explanations but only got terrified pleading.

The drivers transformed and hid behind new buildings, sparks thumping, listening beyond the jets for threatening sounds. The vehicon thief leaned alone against a wall, gasping and cooling down. As he relaxed however, his awareness sharpened. It was quiet and dark here, without the lights and protection of others in the residence. Now, a feeling of foreboding swept other him, and he looked all around himself in a circle.

From the darkness of an alley before him, a silhouette stalked toward him. The vehicon squeaked, spun around to transform and flee, but was stopped when hands fell over his shoulders.

"You aren't going anywhere," Starscream murmured behind his head.

Icy fingers curled, stabbing a secure hold into his metal. Before the vehicon could begin begging, he was yanked back, dragged toward the dark alley with his heels scraping the ground. He screeched a bloodcurdling cry and flailed, vainly fighting against the bot he could not touch. His scream rose from the city, and the Aerialbots ceased all that they were doing to jet off toward the sound. As they came closer, the screams erupted in short, swift bursts, becoming more desperate and anguished, before falling silent.

Slingshot and Jetfire arrived first, landing in the alley aglow with energon. A vehicon form was curled up in the centre, clutching his throat and face, twitching as blood trickled through his fingers. Jetfire scooped up the vehicon, who jolted but did not scream. And stepping into the moonlight, it became clear that he could not, for under the vehicon's bloody face, his throat had been torn open, his voice box removed.

"What the- who could have done this?" Slingshot gasped.

Neither of them had seen another bot fleeing as they had come in.

"And for what reason?" Jetfire muttered.

* * *

Starscream had returned to the _Nemesis_ before the Aerialbots found the vehicon, dropping the voice box randomly from the sky where no one, even himself, could hope to find it. His fingers had softened, leaving the living realm, so that both blood and voice box had dropped off him.

The Autobots and the minicon were assembled in the front room. Ultra Magnus stood at the front and pressed on, "While all that the vehicons claim is completely ludicrous, it is undeniable that someone has caused this damage. Perhaps, the same bot who put Megatron where he is now."

He accessed the recorded footage for the lounge, finding that the camera was currently blacked out. Ultra Magnus went back, saw when the vehicons had all left, but no one seemed to be in the room when the camera disconnected. Ultra Magnus frowned and checked other cameras, in the halls, finding nothing. Then, he discovered that the camera in the elevator oddly cut out, when no one had been inside.

"How peculiar," Ultra Magnus stated.

Bulkhead said, "How could the cameras have disconnected when no one was there?"

A call broke through the computer, Jetfire's voice.

"Vehicons just fled the building in terror. As we pursued them, one was attacked by an unknown perpetrator. Voice box torn out and face scratched. We will need Ratchet."

Ultra Magnus closed the videos and found their signals, which had been added earlier that day. He opened a groundbridge portal, and immediately the Aerialbots all poured in. Everyone gawked at the vehicon, before Ratchet headed off and led them toward the med bay. They charged by a confused Knockout then set the vehicon down in the adjacent room on a berth.

Ratchet burst into Megatron's room, snatching the tools he needed. Knockout trailed him although Ratchet had shooed away the Aerialbots.

"What happened? Who attacked him?" Knockout asked.

"No one knows," Ratchet grumbled. He found himself fine with Knockout lingering, although usually to be surrounded made him feel suffocated.

"He is missing his voice box," Knockout noticed.

"Yes, but otherwise, he will be fine. Nothing that I can't handle… Anyway, you ought to get back to guarding Megatron. Clearly, there is a dangerous bot among us with a grudge against Decepticons."

Knockout twirled the Immobilizer. "I wonder how that bodes for me."

He left to resume his post, while Starscream rejoined the Autobots at the front.

"It was not a spirit," Ultra Magnus was arguing. "They do not exist, and have never been proven to in scientific history. Furthermore, I doubt Starscream would have reason to torment the troopers. Must I add that a spirit would not have needed to hide themselves by destroying the cameras. Evidently, someone living was trying to hide themselves."

Smokescreen shuffled his feet.

"The vehicons never knew about the cameras," Arcee pointed out. "There was no one who saw us installing them."

Ultra Magnus stated, "There is a rare technology that I believe this individual must possess. A Light Bender, which allows the wearer to pass unseen among us."

"An invisible bot," Bumblebee nodded. "That would explain why no one could see who took out the cameras, crushed Megatron, or harmed the vehicon."

"Hold on," Arcee added. "We never saw the elevator doors open when the camera for the elevator was taken out second. That means another bot had to have been inside."

"Two bots?" Bulkhead's eyebrows raised.

Starscream strolled away, tittering to himself.

* * *

Megatron's mind and body were groggy, but he was still tortured by his thoughts. Since so much time had passed while he had been awake and helpless, Megatron had begun to wonder if he had imagined the whole thing. Was he beginning to lose his mind? Was it temporary or would he descend into further madness? Knockout might have been completely right about what had happened.

A laugh, all so familiar, broke out near him. Megatron jolted and tried to sit up, but he was caught by the bonds of energy. Lying down, he glanced around himself right-to-left. There was no one there.

His spark still pounded, but he chastised himself, "Do not be foolish. It is clearly another hallucination. I must focus on reality and set my mind straight."

A figure was suddenly beside him, grey in his peripheral until he slowly glanced over to recognize Starscream at his side. As much as he tried to convince himself it was a hallucination, Megatron's pulse quickened in awareness of his bound state.

Megatron glanced at the ceiling. "You are not real."

"Poor, insane Megatron," Starscream drawled. "Having another hallucination?"

Those words were very strange for a hallucination to say, but Megatron tried to focus on anything else but him.

"No, that is just what everyone is starting to believe," Starscream whispered, edging closer. His eyes gleamed when Megatron shifted away. "But I am not a hallucination, Megatron. I am truly here."

"No, you are not," Megatron stated. "That is impossible. You perished at the hands of the Predacons, and spirits do not exist."

Starscream chuckled.

Megatron went on, "Had spirits existed, then I would have been haunted all my life by those I killed."

"Oh, how logical that sounds," Starscream grinned. "I am eager to hear what your next explanation will be after this, if you can create one. I am going to make it harder and harder for everyone..."

He leaned over Megatron, flexing his fingers.

"Now, what ought I do to you, in your _poor_, defenseless state?" Starscream flashed his purple eyes at him, as more purple began to colour his body. "I must say, it does bring back a certain memory. I recall once lying where you lay, and after you had enjoyed intimidating me, you told me that our positions would never again be reversed. Well, Megatron, look at where you are now. I would say it was an unlucky turn of events for you…"

He touched his cold fingers against his shoulder.

"...except, I intentionally put you here."

Megatron jerked against the bonds, mind racing in a desperate attempt to explain how he felt those fingers so clearly. The longer he could come up with nothing, the wider his eyes expanded. Such realistic claws spread over his face.

"You saw me at the construction site before you fell. I was the one who crushed you by taking over the crane. I tore open your wounds last night, making it appear as if it were your fault. You still do not think I am real?" Starscream murmured, letting the sharp tip of his finger approach Megatron's eye.

Megatron shut his eyes and jerked to the side.

"Why don't you call for help, Megatron?" he teased. "Are you afraid that they will rush in and see nothing? Think you are insane?"

Megatron felt sharp iciness resting over his eyebrow, slowly prying to open his eye.

"I will disappear when they come," Starscream uttered. "But until then, I will remain. So scream, while you still can, Megatron… before it is too late."

The sharp tip curled, slipping deeper into the crack to touch his eye.

"_Knockout!_" Megatron boomed.

The cold disappeared, as did the form of Starscream and the eerie voice. The doors opened, and Knockout rushed into the room to find Megatron alone.

"What is it?" he gasped.

"Check the footage for this room," Megatron uttered.

"Ummm…" Knockout leaned back from him. "If you wish, but…"

"It might give me peace of mind if you did."

"So I presume that you had another Starscream hallucination?" Knockout blinked.

"My request was simple. Just have it done, Knockout."

"Okay then… as you wish."

Knockout backed away hesitantly.

"No-" Megatron ordered. "Remain in the room."

The authority froze him as a former Decepticon. From there, Knockout called the front of the _Nemesis_, where Starscream knew all the Autobots were still gathered. He eagerly flashed ahead to stand among them and listen.

"I am sorry to make such a strange request at this time, but Megatron is distressed and needs some kind of assurance," Knockout reported. "He wants someone to check the footage for the med bay and assure him that his hallucinations aren't real."

"What kind of hallucination?" Ultra Magnus inquired.

"He is continuously seeing Starscream, even dreaming about him. Ratchet and I believe the dark energon and Unicron experience have caused this..."

When Ultra Magnus found the camera for the med bay however, all that everyone saw was the same black of the vehicon residence cameras. Their eyes began to widen, and Ultra Magnus went backwards in the footage's time. The last recorded video was of both Ratchet and Knockout operating on Megatron's legs, before it cut out.

"There… are no recordings." Ultra Magnus narrowed his eyes. "It seems that the camera within the room is damaged."

Knockout replied, "Ah, it must have disconnected in the crash. If you would, have a trooper fix it in the morning."

He exited the call, then Bulkhead burst out, "What is going on here? The cameras are cutting out, both Megatron and the vehicons all having visions and dreams about Starscream…"

Ultra Magnus frowned, mind working to find a way to explain the coincidences. Smokescreen rubbed his arms, squirming with knowledge and distrust in himself. Finally, he broke. Smokescreen stuttered, "Um, I…"

His eyes expanded in regret, as everyone turned toward him. They were expectant, wondering why he had spoken up.

"I think… that I may have seen him too," he murmured.

"You did?" Arcee asked. "When?"

"When Megatron fell of that building because he saw something jump at him… I thought I saw some black and purple figure looking down, and its shape was just like Starscream…"

Ultra Magnus uttered, "You are claiming to have seen a shadowy figure? Are you sure that it was not just some other coloured Seeker?"

Smokescreen faltered under Ultra Magnus' strict, unbelieving gaze. "You're probably right… he murmured. "Maybe I just saw the bot with the technology off…"

Ultra Magnus squared himself. "All of you, eradicate this belief in spirits. You sound influenced by Earth film culture, but this belief is not scientifically grounded. We know what happens to our sparks while the humans seem conflicted with each other about the topic. When a spark is extinguished, it becomes severely weakened and enters another realm. They do not stay, and could not possibly have an influence on our world. I should not have to lecture you on this like newly forged bots."

The minicon blinked while everyone else looked down, abashed. They did feel rather foolish now.

"Times may be confusing now," Ultra Magnus uttered. "But we will get to the bottom of this mystery. All of you, remain on your guard. That is all that can be said or done about the matter currently."

Smokescreen stiffened himself to restrain his fidgeting, and the others agreed with the commander.

* * *

The most joyous day of the Predacons' lives had ended, and now all had curled up to rest in the cool night. Content, all slept peacefully and without fear, looking forward to what the next day would bring.

The spirit crept close with arms outstretched. Unseen, closing in on the young bot who had been taught to sleep in her beast-form.

_Of course she was flying, since she knew hardly anything else. The Predacon was happy, relishing the feeling of the wind caressing her red wings. Then, she heard a new noise that she had never before: a jet's engine. A grey shape whizzed by ahead, fast and sharp, somehow able to fly without flapping wings._

"_What are you?" she called out. It was impossible to do in that form, but the dream forgot that limitation._

_Starscream soared in a loop, awing her before he joined her side._

"You have not seen many bots yet," _he said. _"But naturally, Predacons are not the only fliers. There are those like me, who are the true masters of the sky."

"_There are more like you?"_

"Yes, of course. More than there are Predacons.

"_What is your name?"_

"Starscream," _he replied, then added in a playful tone, _"Would you like to see me transform?"

"_Yes! Oh yes, I would!"_

_At once, they were on the ground and the Predacon was already in her bot-form. Starscream hopped down from the sky and transformed, his lithe shape landing neatly with raised arms. As she stomped in glee, and he shot her a smile. Through her spark, Starsceam felt just how much she trusted and adored him, and on the flipside, she did not sense darkness. The fury did not corrupt her dream, the ill intent was not sensed; she only felt Starscream's real delight, his secret satisfaction as he played her._

_He peered at her through relaxed, purple eyes. _

"_Star- scream?" she laughed. "What a strange name."_

"I disagree," _he purred. _"The stars are always in the sky, even if you cannot see them during the day."

"_The sky is really important to bots like you?"_

_Starscream nodded._

"_And scream?"_

"High in the sky, beyond the reach of most Cybertronians, they hear a shrill sound as I tear across the world. Even if it is too dark, too cloudy, and they cannot see me, they will hear me."

"_Oh, when you say that, now I really like your name!"_

_Starscream chuckled, but his laugh was not as free as Darksteel's had been. Restricted, staying low and measured. The Predacon thought it was odd, but did not question it. _

"Would you like to fly more with me?" _Starscream asked._

"_Yes! Please!"_

_And so they were back in the sky, playing in the endless day. _

Starscream pulled back. He did not need to stay, because she was still imagining him there. He might have gotten blurrier to her mind, stopped speaking so clearly and intelligently, but she still happily twitched in her sleep.

"_Please_?" Starscream spat. "Which of those beasts taught her such a word?"

* * *

The Autobots rested that night. In the morning, the camera in the med bay had been found with a sliced wire, which was easily repaired. When the vehicons were led outside after another quiet night, the cameras inside there were too repaired. Bumblebee stayed to mend the scratched surfaces, and that morning as well, Wheeljack and Bulkhead also headed out with their own task: fixing up Starscream's coffin.

When they arrived at the smelting pit, however, their mouths fell open. The coffin was gone. They raced closer, only to find a trail toward the smelting pit and a few splash marks where lava had melted metal.

"What?" Wheeljack gawked.

They took a long time to stare around themselves and ascertain that yes, the coffin and body were gone.

"Whoever did this must have really hated Starscream," Wheeljack muttered.

Bulkhead's blue eyes creased. "But who would do this? To come after him even after death and desecrate his body, preventing us from even laying him to rest?"

Wheeljack shrugged. "No Autobot I know. Seems cruel even for a 'con to do."

It was hard for them to return and relay the unfortunate event to Ultra Magnus and Ratchet, who had stayed behind in the ship. Ultra Magnus suggested that they ask Knockout what should be done now, so they walked into the med bay where Knockout was wearily leaning against the wall.

"Someone come to replace me?" He stretched. "I really need to recharge, and get some sunlight for a change."

"Um, Knockout," Bulkhead started. It was very strange to address him, because Bulkhead realized that they had never really spoken to each other before. "Before that, there is something we need to tell you…"

First, they explained the findings about the shared Starscream visions, the broken cameras, the scratches, the wounded vehicon, and their idea that some invisible vigilante was terrorizing Decepticons. Knockout nodded along, and Megatron silently listened from where he lay.

"We do not know how they are doing everything, and most importantly, why. But… I am really sorry. This bot, or bots, just… They knew where we left Starscream's body. They pushed the coffin into the smelting pit…"

Knockout's mouth opened.

"We realize how awful it must be to hear this," Wheeljack continued. "We'll find the bot who did it. But if you have any suggestions on what we should do next, we're open to them."

Knockout shook his head while saying, "I don't understand. What was there to gain in doing such a thing…? It wasn't like he could hurt anyone anymore… There was nothing to lose either in allowing him to be buried."

Starscream stared and felt his spark shudder for a moment. Why exactly had he decided to do it? His mind was blank, buzzing with steady anger. Had it been spite, to somehow try to punish them for melting him and leaving him alone for so long? But now, as they were punished, they only showed… concern. What had he won then? The only thing inside him was relentless dissatisfaction.

_How could they feel bad? _he glowered. _They want to bring a body desecrator to justice, but not the actual murderers? Where is the sense in this! They are probably only saying the words that they think they should say, but truly feel nothing!_

"We don't know," Bulkhead sighed. "So, what do you think now? We can't bury him in Vos anymore, but could we put something else there?"

"Oh, you mean some kind of monument." Knockout glanced at Megatron. "Yes, I'm sure that would be good. Maybe those Autobot Seekers could help you with that. I'm not saying gold statue of 'Scream, but you know, some kind of plaque at least."

After it was agreed, they arranged for Ratchet and Smokescreen to guard the two patients for Knockout. Wheeljack and Bulkhead spent some productive time on Ultra Magnus' ship, glad that with the Aerialbots, someone else could make sure the vehicons didn't get into trouble.

When Bumblebee came back to the warship from fixing the vehicon residence, he sent a call to Predaking. With so many bots among them now, it was getting harder to keep everyone in mind. Though they had had their requested break, thus Bumblebee felt justified to ask now if they could return to work.

Starscream stood with Predaking, watching him as he replied to Bumblebee. Everyone transformed and came up to Predaking, and the new Predacon was the most interested over the mysterious voice coming from Predaking's head.

"We would return," Predaking replied, "but there is a new Predacon among us to educate."

"A new Predacon? Another clone?" Bumblebee asked, while trying to sound friendly about the subject. Regardless, Predaking heard the concern he had tried to mask.

"Yes. The last." Predaking's gaze darkened, and the lines of his mouth turned down when he finished speaking.

"You likely did not hear," Bumblebee went on, "but much has happened in your absence. The Well has been regularly producing animal life, and has so far created one Cybertronian. We have been educating him, teaching him how to speak, read, and write. Today, he is out on the construction site, learning under supervision. Perhaps it would be beneficial to come and bring your new companion?"

"You wish to continue her education?" Predaking muttered.

"Er, yes. With your permission, of course."

Predaking's tone implied that he was offended, and his face certainly looked tight with displeasure. The rings of his pupils were narrowed and his eyebrows were lowered, so Starscream expected that Predaking would argue. Yes, Predaking would want to think _he_ was the best to raise a fellow Predacon, that the Autobots, his former enemies and another race, did not have something better to offer her.

_Bumblebee will sway him, but only after he has stroked his ego enough_, Starscream thought during Predaking's silence.

Predaking sighed, his face loosening. "I suppose it would be best for her to interact with other races. And you know much more than I do about other matters, science, mathematics…"

Starscream spluttered, and Bumblebee too was surprised by how swiftly he had agreed. It seemed very uncharacteristic of the Predaking they thought they knew.

"Would you like to go, Ripclaw?" Predaking asked the new Predacon.

She agreed and nodded with enthusiasm.

"Where would you like to meet us?" Bumblebee asked, assuming that they would just want to fly again.

Predaking looked down, paused, then mumbled, "You may open a portal for us. We will join you immediately."

"Really? Well then, how convenient. Wait there. I will inform Arcee before sending you to her in Iacon."

It was not long after that, when the Predacons walked through the portal and united with Arcee, Jetfire, and the minicon. Ripclaw was overwhelmed with excitement at all the new sights, and had to stand for a moment to observe all the construction and bots. Arcee and the minicon were so tiny compared to her, both below her knee, but Jetfire was much bigger at her chest level.

Everyone was uneasy to stand in front of the four Predacons, but the newest Predacon had the most savage face of them all. While in bot-form, Ripclaw's visage was fanged and had slitted, deep-set eyes. The minicon was frightened, and he skittered behind Jetfire and Arcee for protection.

Ripclaw noticed something was not right. She stammered nervously, "H-hello."

"Good day to you too," Jetfire answered, with a forced smile. Ripclaw was relieved, but Predaking narrowed his eyes.

"Why is the little one behind you?" Ripclaw asked.

"Oh, pardon him," Jetfire stepped sideways, revealing the minicon. "He has never seen Predacons before, and likely imagines he will be trod on."

A lie, since really the minicon was staring at their clawed hands. He stepped over and held onto Jetfire's leg.

"Sorry! Can we sit?"

Jetfire looked at Arcee. Arcee nodded, then decided, "Alright."

Ripclaw did, but looked back when Predaking, Skylynx, and Darksteel did not. Predaking explained to the Autobots, "We will entrust you with her. I am sure that we three could be doing something more productive."

As they walked off, Jetfire shifted in discomfort. Two Autobots, alone with so many vehicons and four Predacons was reason enough to put him on edge.

"You don't have to stay," Arcee told him. "I can handle this."

"Are you certain?" Jetfire glanced uneasily at Ripclaw.

"They do not mean us harm," Arcee said, a bit for herself.

Jetfire blasted off, but when Arcee looked back at Ripclaw, she was no longer smiling.

"What do you mean?" Ripclaw murmured. "Do you think we would harm you?"

"No, don't worry about it. It doesn't have anything to do with you."

"But…"

"So, do you have a name?"

She replied, "I'm… Ripclaw."

Swallowing her feelings of dejection, she asked the minicon as gently as she could, "What is your name?"

He stared at her.

"He has not decided upon one yet," Arcee replied to fill in the silence. "He wants a word that best describes him."

"I came up with my name. It felt as though it was something inside me," Ripclaw said. "Is that how it is with most bots?"

"Many are forged with an idea of their names," Arcee replied. "Some are created nameless and are named by others, or choose something later on."

"What does Arcee mean?"

"Nothing really. It is just my unique name."

Arcee found herself opening up to this Predacon. She was much different than the others, never having been raised as a weapon of the Decepticons. Despite appearances, Ripclaw was just like any other young bot, full of questions and innocence. Arcee proceeded to teach them the written language, which was not a skill embedded into them like the spoken language. The minicon was far ahead, so Arcee gave him readings on a tablet, and used a tool to scratch the ground to teach Ripclaw her first letters.

Ripclaw stopped seeming like a Predacon, and Arcee and the minicon grew accustomed to her face. She was a bright student, memorizing the letters rather quickly. After straining their minds, Arcee took the two on a walk for a break. Ripclaw spotted the other Predacons carrying loads and sprinted toward them, stopping them to eagerly tell them about what she had learned.

Jetfire zipped down to Arcee. "Is everything going okay?"

As she spoke quietly with him, Ripclaw started walking back to rejoin them. Something moved quickly at her side, and Ripclaw turned her head to spot Starscream. He was waving at her, smiling from an alley between new buildings. She gasped and jogged toward him, following him in although he had moved in deeper, around a corner and out of sight.

"Ripclaw, is it?" he began.

"St-Starscream!" She smiled broadly. "You are here! But how? I saw you in my sleep!"

"Yes. I am a dream-walker," he answered. "I can go into anyone's dreams."

"Wow!" Then she chirped, "I am so happy to see you! Why are you over here? We should go join the others!"

"Oh no. I do not like the others." Starscream's smile vanished. Something in his purple eyes was sharp and made Ripclaw frown.

"Why? What did they do?"

"Mostly, it has to do with what Predaking, Skylynx, and Darksteel did."

"What? They, they wouldn't have done anything to you!"

Starscream shook his head and chuckled.

"Oh, how wrong you are," Starscream drawled. "If you don't believe me, Ripclaw, then go ask them yourself."

Ripclaw heard Arcee and Jetfire calling for her, then Predaking. But her wide eyes stayed locked with Starscream's.

He finished, "Tell them you were just speaking to me, and make them tell you what they did to me."

Their voices came closer. Eyes gleaming with emotion, Ripclaw turned and charged back out into the open. Everyone had assumed she was nearby, and now she very nearly crashed into Predaking.

"There you are! Why did you run off like that?" he demanded.

"Predaking!" She clung onto his arms. "Why doesn't Starscream like you? He told me you, Skylynx, and Darksteel did something bad to him! You didn't hurt him, did you?"


	11. Taint of Evil

Predaking had to stop to replay what Ripclaw had just said in his mind. It was the same for Skylynx and Darksteel, who froze with expressions of shock. The Autobots too were dead quiet, and without an immediate response, Ripclaw thought she needed to repeat herself.

"Starscream! He does not want to come out because of you. Why? What did you do?"

Predaking's face contorted. "Who told you about him?"

Ripclaw's face opened up in surprise at his aggression. She stepped back. "What? No one- he spoke to me himself!"

"No, that cannot be true!" Predaking barked. "Someone else had to have fooled you, pretending to be-"

He went silent when he heard Arcee's voice, cold and hinting at some sort of knowledge. Despite his passion, he felt compelled to listen from its tone.

"You talked to Starscream?" she uttered.

"Y-yes." Ripclaw glanced to Arcee.

"What did he look like?"

"Like him…" Ripclaw pointed at Jetfire. "But smaller and grey."

"Can you tell me more?" she asked.

"He had black shoulders, purple optics, and a red thing on his head-"

"_Purple_ optics?"

"Yeah, purple." Ripclaw frowned. "He is back there."

Arcee sprinted through her legs toward the alley, and her movement jerked Predaking into action. He tore after her with his eyes wild and huge, flickering around to soak up all visuals. Skylynx and Darksteel trailed close behind him, then Ripclaw and Jetfire jogged after the group. Naturally, they charged through the alley, turned and came into the next street without finding any bot whatsoever. Far from satisfied, Predaking shook with the need to search. He dashed forward, transforming and leaping into the sky to circle the area.

Head down, he peered into the alleys, all the little cracks someone, Starscream or not, could be hiding in. But in that area, there was no one, not even vehicons at work. He dropped down and transformed in front of everyone, but it was clear that Predaking was worked up into a worse fit.

"What do you mean?" he cried. "Purple optics! Starscream's optics are not that colour! The only ones I have seen with such a colour were the demon lord and his horde of unintelligent, corpse puppets! Yet even if someone reanimated him, he could not be conscious, could he?"

His yelling face had turned to Arcee, someone who should have had answers. She crossed her arms and shook her head firmly.

"No. There has never been a reanimated body that had any sort of consciousness…"

Predaking pointed a claw at Arcee. "Can a living bot obtain that optic colour?"

"Yes, someone who has consumed or injected themselves with dark energon."

"Is Starscream alive?" he demanded, then grabbed his head and shook it. "No, he could not be-" Then he interrupted himself with a cry of, "Is he? Did he survive somehow? Autobot, did you find him and mend him? Are you hiding him from me?"

Arcee's eyebrows lifted and she stepped back. On a roll, Predaking went on, stomping closer although his voice was not necessarily threatening. Nevertheless, something keen filled his gaze.

"No," Arcee shot back and stood her ground. "We recovered him. Knockout put him back together with the parts we gathered."

"So he did survive?" Predaking rambled, mind misty and hearing what he wanted.

"_No_. We recovered-" Arcee didn't want to say the word in front of the minicon and Ripclaw. The faces of the young bots were absolutely horrified already at all that Predaking had burst out. She told Jetfire, "Can you take them away so we can talk in private?"

"Alright," he agreed. Already holding the minicon in his arms, he nodded at Ripclaw and started to move away. She did not budge, however.

"What are you talking about?" Ripclaw cut in. "Predaking, did you… try to kill him?"

He turned his head. "This does not concern you."

"What do you mean?" Ripclaw cried. "Why not?"

"Be quiet, Ripclaw, while I try to comprehend what has transpired."

Predaking looked back to Arcee. Jetfire sighed and walked away with the minicon, at least sparing one of them from the worst.

"His corpse," Arcee murmured. "He was gone. No one could have survived it, and we are certain that he did not. More than one doctor had seen him, and one of them spent joors reassembling him. Then, we had his body melted in preparation for burial. There is no possible way that he could be back."

Ripclaw choked and turned. Everyone else was lost in the mystery, but she was struck by what those who had raised her had done. They had been so kind, but now she felt distance growing between them as she felt she no longer knew them. Even their faces looked different without changing, becoming the faces of strangers.

"Why?" Ripclaw whispered.

Not even Darksteel or Skylynx turned. They were too focused on the conversation.

Predaking said to Arcee, "Then how could you explain what just happened? Who spoke to Ripclaw just now? Someone posing as him?"

Arcee lowered her eyes, debating on how much to reveal to him. She ended up murmuring, "Perhaps."

"But her description, apart from the optic colour, was precise!"

Ripclaw hated being ignored. She exploded, "What are you talking about? Why, why did you do that to him? You tried to _kill_ him?"

Predaking narrowed his eyes at her shout and turned at last. "Ripclaw, silence! Cease asking me about him! Starscream was a duplicitous individual who deserved to be terminated, so what we have done will help others in the future. With this said, I do not want you to ever mention his name to me again. I refuse to argue about it!"

"How was he so bad? And did you really have to try-"

"What did I just say?" he growled. "I will not argue-"

"I will not be quiet just because you asked me to! I am hearing that you, and- Skylynx and Darksteel!- tried to murder someone!"

"Tried? Stop speaking of _trying_. Starscream is offline! You did _not_ speak with him. It could only have been someone else!"

Ripclaw retorted, "It was him! You said my description was precise! Must I say more? He had black hands with sharp fingers, spiky silver knees…"

The other three Predacaons' eyes, along with Arcee's, grew wider.

"It could have been a shifter," Arcee decided. "We once had one disguise himself as one of us and sneak into our base on Earth. Whoever this is must be impersonating Starscream to confuse and terrify his targets."

"I don't understand…" Ripclaw said. "It _had_ to be him. He cannot be dead! He seemed so upset about what they did, and he told me who he was in a dream before he came to see me today-"

Arcee gasped.

"A dream?" Predaking scrunched his eyebrows. "How could you have seen someone you have never met in a dream?"

"He said he was a dream-walker," Ripclaw answered, as though it was the clearest thing in the world. She looked to Arcee for affirmation of this.

Arcee uttered, "There is no such thing."

"But I did dream about him!"

"I believe you," Arcee muttered. "Apparently, many bots have been."

Predaking growled, "And _what_ is that supposed to mean?"

Arcee paused for a moment of consideration. "There has been a lot of strange things happening lately related to Starscream, but we believe it is multiple bots using various technologies."

"So you truly do not believe it is him?" Predaking pressed.

"It could not be," Arcee sighed. "I assure you, he is gone."

"Are you certain?"

"We are. He did not survive."

Predaking looked fully dubious. He turned to Ripclaw to growl, "If you ever see Starscream ever again, get away and find me. Starscream is not a kind bot, but a sly and cruel Decepticon who despises Predacons. Do not trust him because if that _is_ him, he will try to kill you."

"No, he is not angry with me-"

"You are ignorant! Starscream would most definitely kill you to get revenge on us for what we have done. If he survived. Regardless, anyone impersonating him is also a danger to you. Stay away and do not listen what he has to say."

"And what are you going to do to him?" Ripclaw replied on the instant.

"We capture him," Arcee answered before Predaking could reply. She also flashed a sharp glare at the trio of guilty Predacons. "Whoever it is."

"Then what?" Ripclaw demanded.

"We imprison him," the Autobot answered. "So that he cannot harm others, and no harm befalls him."

"No wonder he wants to stay away from you!" Ripclaw threw back. "After being attacked and hurt so badly, and knowing that you all are against him, why would he like any of you?"

Predaking gritted his teeth, still struggling with what to believe. Part of him felt that it was Starscream, but the other part of him felt coldly certain that it could _not_ be. His inconsistency came clear when now he snapped, "It is _not_ Starscream. It can only be someone else!"

"Maybe we should speak to him," Ripclaw said. "He seemed so friendly to me."

"Ripclaw, this bot was clearly fooling you," Arcee replied. "It may be hard for you to understand, being so young, but he may be pretending to be your friend to use you. Listen to me now. Closely. You are not the only one who has seen or dreamt of Starscream, but everyone else who has, ended up getting hurt."

Ripclaw's face went blank as something new overcame her: the tingles of fear, like spiders creeping up her back.

"Do you understand now?" Predaking barked. "You must never speak to him or go near him!"

"Okay," she whispered.

"One more thing," Arcee said. "Ripclaw, did Starscream look injured in any way? Marked or burnt?"

"No," she answered quietly.

"Then it cannot be him," Predaking stated. "No one living could heal so swiftly."

Ripclaw felt her spark beating more slowly. So then, someone who looked like that bot had been killed. Predaking, Darksteel, Skylynx- her brethren had slaughtered such a smaller bot, and nothing was to be done about it. No one cared for him, spoke poorly about him. When Predaking urged her to come with him and fly home, she hesitated with a troubled expression.

Starscream knew that he had imprinted himself on the naive Predacon. No one could convince her now that Starscream was a bad individual. The moment she saw him again, she would coming running just as she had today. Still, she departed with the Predacons believing in her promise that she would stay away from him.

* * *

The Autobots held a meeting to discuss the new matters. Bored of listening and eager to harm, Starscream departed to torment Shockwave at last. Hidden from the world underground, the scientist would feel safe in his isolation and not yet realize the danger in it. When Starscream crossed the world and found him, Shockwave was awake and indeed peacefully studying into the night.

To see him in that position forced Starscream to retrospect. When he had just died, he had rushed back to Shockwave to seek… now it felt pathetic to think, but Starscream had wanted comfort from the consistent, no-nonsense bot. He had stayed with him so long, relaxing at the sounds of his typing. Yet so much had changed so quickly. Shockwave was doing the same thing he had before, but everything was different, because Starscream was different.

Starscream walked into Shockwave, but the scientist did not feel him. Concentrating only on his hands, Starscream brought them down onto the keyboard to press down on a single key. Shockwave paused and stared as a single letter repeated itself, filling the screen line-after-line. The silver spikes on his head twitched, his version of a frown. He pressed the key, hoping to unstick it, yet when his hand strayed there, frigid coldness shot into his fingers.

He withdrew as a shiver flew up his arm into his back. At that moment, the computer stopped forming more rows of the same letter. Shockwave stared at the computer, but did not have to for long before something else was written: a sentence.

_Hello Shockwave_

Shockwave froze, staring at the words with a racing mind. There was not much more eerie than hearing one's name called when one is supposed to be alone, and this was the same. Starscream grinned and glanced up, watching as Shockwave looked around himself then back to the computer. He had believed that he was safe, but now thought that he had been hacked and found.

_I see you_

Shockwave turned sharply away from the computer and began powering up his blaster, pointing it forward. Starscream smirked and watched Shockwave scour the area, searching for a threat to obliterate. Shockwave left the room entirely, hunting through the halls and other rooms with slow, heavy footsteps. As a physically strong bot, he was not afraid to encounter someone and fight. Yet upon finding no one, Shockwave took his time searching for cameras, tiny drones, and still found nothing.

To see the scientist paranoid made pleasure blossom up in Starscream's spark, and yet it was not enough.

_Make him afraid_, urged an internal whisper. _Make him feel helpless and alone._

Shockwave crept back to the screen, waiting for another message to get more information. Solid, he was not intimidated yet. Though to have been found and hacked proved that his foe was formidable, Shockwave still thought himself to be superior and able to overcome them in the end.

_ You cannot stop me. _

He typed, _Who is this? _The cold near the keyboard was unbearable, and he retracted his hand and scrutinized the technology.

_I heard what you said_

_You will pay_

"Who is this?" Shockwave rumbled, waiting for a verbal answer in the silence. If someone could see him, then they could likely hear him. Usually this would be the time for the villain to reveal themselves, answering through a microphone and explaining their intentions. Instead, there was only silence and a ominous feeling thickening in the air. Although he was a scientist of proof and logic, an inexplicable certainty overcame him that someone else was in the room.

It was a maddening feeling; without sight or sound, Shockwave searched around himself but had nothing to attack. The silence within the hideout was oppressive, tightening around him. He threw a glance back at the screen, searching for an answer, only receiving a single letter in response.

_S_

A noise came from behind him, a screech from the shadows that sounded of scratched metal. Shockwave spun, red eye peering into the corner to see nothing.

_T_

Shockwave had briefly glanced back to the computer, before he whipped to the left at another sound, a tool clattering to the floor closer to him. His blaster pointed in its direction, but he hesitated when he heard no sound of running feet. Something was moving so swiftly and seemed to be as large as a regular Cybertronian, yet there was no sound. It was in all ways, not right.

_A_

He pointed his blaster at a chinking sound unnervingly close to him. Shockwave stared at the air, stepping back as though being approached. But there was nothing seen or heard coming close to him, but _something_ was there. For the first time in a long time, Shockwave felt himself listening to his spark rather than his mind, for it sensed the taint of Unicron and told him that he needed to get away.

The atmosphere was concentrated darkness. As his head began to ache, Shockwave saw another letter appear.

_R_

His spark screamed at him to run. Shockwave, overwhelmed with confusion, began to move before his mind could challenge his fear. He charged at the nearest door, yet when he pounded at the button, the door refused to open. The mechanics groaned with protest, and Shockwave struck the button repeatedly to no avail. It would open partially, then snap shut constantly, whining and clinking each time, as though someone on the other side was pressing the button.

He was trapped, and each clink and second that passed filled him with desperation. What was happening, he did not know, for he could hardly think. His spark rate increased and narrowed his vision; Shockwave blasted the door to pieces then burst through the smoldering hole. Behind him, he heard another clatter that pushed him onward toward the exit.

He did not feel like a Cybertronian was pursuing him, although his mind's eye flashed the letters he had read.

_S T A R_ _S T A R_ _S T A R_

Something scratched the wall right behind him. Shockwave transformed and turned his blaster backwards, rolling forward while firing behind him. He heard nothing through the shots and explosions, and a gram of consciousness made him wonder if he had struck his pursuer. Near the exit, Shockwave paused to transform and listen.

There were no footsteps, no more scratching noises, yet that foreboding pressure in the air remained. Shockwave's spark hollered at his mind for holding him back. Now was not the time to think, and instinct jerked him into moving. He shot the final door, not trusting it to obey him, and he rushed from the base into the outside.

He never knew that his obeisance of instinct had saved him from a scratch Starscream's claws, before he tumbled into the night and transformed. As fast as he could, he abandoned that place with his mind struggling to comprehend what had happened.

He needed to get to another base, and yet, Shockwave felt sure that he was being followed. That feeling of darkness lingered, draining his energy and making him feel nauseous. He tried to drive faster to escape it, thought with hope that he had escaped it several times, but then, the sickening feeling would strike Shockwave all at once. He had not yet lost his pursuer, no matter how hard he tried.

Shockwave was driven to exhaustion, driving through the night with the flashes of nausea hitting him various times, sometimes once in an hour, sometimes more. Starscream would come closer, stray away for a while, then come near him again as he pleased. His delight had no end to see the sturdy bot be consumed by fear. Shockwave, who had always been a threat to his position, making him look worthless to Megatron. The bot who had once grabbed him and forced his head closer to a spike, meaning to impale him.

_Flee from me. Fear me._

Shockwave had not defended him or cared when his creations had murdered him.

_Suffer._

Starscream floated away, but still followed and watched him through narrowed eyes. Hope was allowed to return to Shockwave, who thought that at last he had escaped. He drove on toward the sunrise, and the feeling did not come back. The day's light poured over the horizon and warmed his purple metal, chasing away memories of the night's fear. At such a time, he felt more collected and would begin to question why he had been afraid.

Starscream watched Shockwave drive to another one of his laboratories, enter it, and immediately begin setting traps. After that was done, he collapsed in fatigue, sitting up for a while to listen for sounds. When all remained quiet, he at last refueled and recharged.

_He thinks he is safe now. _Starscream chuckled. _Oh, but how soon he will be devastated. And now, how will he flee through all the traps he has just set?_

Starscream left him alone once again so that he could get settled.

* * *

Now here was a surprise, Knockout leading Ultra Magnus and Ratchet through Starscream's private quarters on the _Nemesis_. They seemed to be searching high and low for something, and Starscream only assumed that they were hoping to find a datapad of some sort full of information. Secret plans, hidden perhaps behind a small, secret door. Starscream scoffed for two reasons. First, because he wondered what idea had entered their heads overnight. Second, because they believed that he would _record_ his plans somewhere. How foolish that would have been, when Soundwave would have found and read anything he wrote!

Because Starscream had been sure that Soundwave regularly snooped in his room, he had never kept anything suspicious there. Nothing extravagant to make Megatron think he was too hungry for power, and no datapads that could be monitored. There were only five things in Starscream's room: a screen which Megatron could call him through, a berth, a shelf, a partially filled bottle of liquid energon, and an empty cup. The latter two objects had fallen onto the floor, which the Autobots now stepped around.

Although he had always wanted a luxurious place like his old home, Starscream was proud now of how empty his room was. Soundwave and Megatron never learned anything from him because of this, and now, the Autobots could only grumble in frustration.

"We are wasting our time," Ratchet said.

Knockout put the bottle and cup back onto the shelf. Ultra Magnus and Ratchet glanced at him, then left the room with sour expressions. Although the door had closed, someone still remained in the room. Starscream stood and stared at the cup, which could not be any plainer. Square, metal, just like the several others in storage upon the ship.

A smile cracked across his face. As simple as it was, he had an idea for the future.

* * *

Now, what did the Autobots think? Starscream wondered this while hanging near Megatron, seeing how he was faring. Still, Knockout had him strapped down as his legs healed. Starscream wondered, but was not going to get answers because when he flashed around the world to check on others, they were uncomfortably silent at work. Autobots, vehicons, and Predacons alike moved stiffly, daily life now interrupted by a state of suspicion. They looked into shadows and into thin air, searching where Starscream was not.

For some odd reason, Arcee and Bumblebee were nowhere to be found. Starscream assumed that it had to do with him, so his wondering persisted as he stood near the vehicon thief he had wounded. He lay in a berth, keeping still because of the pain of moving his neck in the slightest. Ratchet did not seem too concerned about him, so the frightened vehicon was often left alone. Starscream did not have to do anything; sounds from the other room scared him into turning his head. But unable to groan in pain, his body gave a little shiver of agony each time he checked for Starscream beside him.

A laugh unheard trickled out from Starscream. He had reduced this bot into a pathetic mess, and it felt simply wonderful. Is this how Megatron had felt, intimidating him until he begged and whined for mercy? At that thought, fury grasped him.

Starscream still had a rush after haunting Shockwave, and it took much self-control to not harass others at every moment. He was going to have to restrict himself if he wanted everyone to dread the nights, so the days needed to become information-gathering times. He went to listen to the Predacons, but they were quiet and distant from each other. Ripclaw was with Bulkhead and Wheeljack that day, and the others could hardly look at each other while working.

Another Cybertronian was created in the afternoon, a four-wheeled biped who was utterly plain and uninteresting to Starscream. Once again, Starscream itched with jealousy to see the Autobots in the _Nemesis_ caring for the new life and gently speaking with him. In fact, a knot of disgust tightened in him to see bots like Ratchet and Ultra Magnus being so soft. In his life, they had only been harsh and strict with him, and he did not want to believe that they could be anything else.

Smokescreen was in charge of Megatron while Knockout had an oil bath. That too somehow irked Starscream, when before he had felt warmth toward Knockout. But these days, Starscream's emotions were only growing colder with his spark. As Knockout relaxed in the hot oil, his closed eyes and faint smile revealed no pain or sadness over Starscream's death.

So then, was it over? Would no one who had known him feel anything for him anymore? While Starscream still did not want to kill or hurt Knockout, inside he now wanted him to suffer. What right did Knockout have to be so happy so soon?

"You didn't take long to get over it, did you?" he hissed.

Starscream dug his fingers into the oil without feeling its relaxing heat. When he flicked his fingers, there was a splash and drops splattered Knockout's face. Knockout, who had been still, jolted and looked around him. Ripples extended from a bare spot in the bath; he glanced up, wondering if something had fallen from the ceiling. As he looked, Starscream splashed more drops at his face.

Knockout gasped and blinked out the oil. "What the…?"

From under the surface, he heard a muffled, scratching sound. Knockout pulled back his legs and began to stand. Then, through the heat of the oil, something ice-cold snatched onto his foot. Curling, long- undeniably fingers. He cried and tugged as the grip tightened, then he kicked free. Feet and oil flying up, Knockout crashed onto his back and bounced on his wheels. Without looking back, he scrambled onto his feet and tore out into the hall, dripping and gasping.

Starscream stood in the abandoned bath and chuckled, then reprimanded himself for doing a scare during the day. He should not have let his emotions get the better of him, but then he laughed anew and could not easily stop. The screams were addicting like a delicious medicine. He wanted more, because each time he stole happiness and caused pain, he gradually felt cured of his own suffering.

Knockout sprinted to the front and stammered barely coherent sentences. The new bot had been sent outside and Ultra Magnus was now resting, so a bewildered Ratchet was the only one left. He leaned back and gathered the words "bot in the bath" and "cold hand grabbed me".

"An invisible bot?" Ratchet pressed.

"The hand- it, it felt _just_ like Starscream's," Knockout panted. "B-but I don't know how he got there, yet…"

"Did you hear anything?"

"No, and he said nothing. I never saw him," Knockout breathed. "Something splashed me twice before it happened. But I never even saw or heard another bot get into the bath…"

Ratchet went to the front and searched for the camera to one of the bath chambers. Before Knockout had been there, nothing was seen or heard. Knockout watched himself walk in, then began to shiver in apprehension. They saw him relax and stay still for a while before without warning, oil splashed him twice, looking exactly like someone had swiped the surface. Following that was Knockout's entire struggle before he bolted from the room.

They kept watching. The door did not open; the surface of the oil became still.

"It _was_ him!" Knockout concluded. "It is true! Megatron was not crazy!"

Full of concern now for the bound Megatron, Knockout hurried to the med bay. When he arrived there, Knockout tore past a baffled Smokescreen.

"Wow, what's up?" he asked.

Knockout quickly powered off Megatron's bonds, and breathed, "Starscream. Or a clone, I don't know. But he is in the ship. I felt him, and I don't know what is going on, but Megatron is not insane and neither are the vehicons."

"So 'Scream or a clone has invisibility tech or something?" Smokescreen gasped. "The commander was right?"

"Yes, and perhaps a phase shifter of sorts as well!"

Megatron sat up. Knockout put out his hands to ease him to stay down, but Megatron did not get up regardless.

"It is not a clone," Megatron uttered. "I see you too know about his past tricks. But I have encountered his clones and seen through Starscream's memories how many he had created. He has no more of them. All are dead. Furthermore, I saw Starscream upon me and felt him. He wore no phase shifter, yet I could not touch him."

"You said he was cold, didn't you?" Knockout murmured, eyes wide.

"Like the empty vacuum of space."

Smokescreen yelped, "Are you suggesting that he really is a-, but no, he can't be… Remember how Ultra Magnus explained how unscientific that would be?"

"Starscream himself has returned," Megatron growled. "You may try to rationalize how he gets places unseen, yet how can you explain his appearances in the dreams of others? Starscream's spark is aberrant. Perhaps more powerful than a usual spark, and able to interact with this realm."

Knockout and Smokescreen gawked, dread creeping around their bodies. At that moment, Ratchet opened the door to reveal that he had been eavesdropping. Both bots standing jumped and cried, then calmed.

"There must be an explanation for that as well," Ratchet stressed. "How could one extinguished spark have such power? This must be what he wants us to think, to fool us into irrational action to weaken us. He could be using himself to frighten us, recorded screeches of energon vampires to stimulate our fear centres, to make us dream of him-"

"But what about that new Predacon?" Knockout murmured. "She dreamt about Starscream and it was not a nightmare."

Ratchet was stumped on the instant.

"So there's a ghost?" Smokescreen cried. "Like, the first ever Cybertronian ghost? How are we supposed to know what to do then? What can we do?"

"I refuse to believe this," Ratchet sighed and shook his head. "In thousands of years of history, this cannot be happening now. This concept of supernatural hauntings comes from alien races. Had we never heard of it, we would not be so bent on this possibility now."

Smokescreen had rambled on, "Oh scrap, then- then my dream of him was _real_! He really is mad at me! Ah no, what do I do?"

"Everyone, calm down." Ratchet put out his hands. Out of the three, however, Megatron was already calm and serious, focused on finding a solution.

"Doctor," Megatron addressed Ratchet. "Whether you believe in this phenomenon or not, are you aware of any method of capturing sparks?"

"Not extinguished sparks," Ratchet answered. "Living sparks can be torn free, and that was what the Spark Extractor was capable of. Even that weapon, however, could not hold the sparks that immediately extinguished after being ripped from their bodies. With cloning, living sparks can be attracted into spark chambers. However, as I said, there is nothing and never has been anything capable of holding extinguished sparks. Except for the Allspark, that is."

Megatron frowned.

Smokescreen wrung his wrists. "Could we somehow make him go there?"

Ratchet scoffed and even Knockout joined him. Knockout replied, "It is not like we could trick him or drag him down there, you know. And being Starscream, he wouldn't go even if we asked."

"It cannot be a spirit," Ratchet repeated. "Don't any of you go spreading rumours. Whoever was here, Starscream, another clone he produced later, a shifter- needs to be dealt with appropriately. Now we heard from multiple sources that Starscream was seen with purple eyes. That means that the bot was using dark energon. Even a miniscule amount, if we scan for it, should be detectable. And if we can detect it-"

"We can track him!" Knockout pointed a finger up.

"Exactly."

_Track me?_ Starscream bristled. No, that was the last thing he wanted so early in his revenge plot. Much of their fear came from not knowing where the danger was. To see him, everywhere he walked, would spoil it.

_I can just destroy the technology_, he decided. _Over and over, until I want them to see me approaching._

They were an inconvenience at best. Stop, _him_? There could be no way to contain or destroy him when no one had the technology for it. As Megatron had said, he was aberrant and powerful. At the same time as his annoyance, Starscream was delighted to have been called powerful by the one who had oppressed him.

_Death unlocked your true potential._

His hands tightened in determination.

"I cannot be touched or harmed, even by other spirits. What can they hope to do to me?"

As tired as everyone would be, Ratchet insisted that they hold another meeting that night. In fact, he called everyone and asked that they try to return earlier. Arcee and Bumblebee protested, and at last Starscream learned the reason for their absence. Days ago, he remembered hearing a bit about this as well: a Predacon clone, created by the Forged, had been trapped with the help of the Dinobots. It had been locked, apparently, in an old Decepticon bunker, and the Autobots had been waiting for it to weaken from energon deficiency.

As a savage creature who did not know it could transform, the Predacon needed to be tamed by Predaking himself. It was otherwise a bot-eater, trained to target anyone not marked with a Decepticon insignia. Its very existence disgusted Starscream, who had not known that Shockwave's disciples had been using Predacons on Cybertron. How many _more_ of these beasts were there?

_I will see to it that the race goes extinct once again._

To Starscream, the animalistic Predacon was the natural state of the race. Nothing yet convinced him otherwise that Predaking, Skylynx, Darksteel, and even Ripclaw were any different inside. Predaking spoke with elegance and acted civil, but all the same, he was driven easily into rages and had hunted Starscream with his new companions. Something too had changed in their faces as they hurt him. Their yellow eyes had gone blank, devoid of caring or consciousness, and they had torn into him like prey.

His wrathful spirit shivered for a moment, remembering the slow struggle of his death.

"They are all the same," he murmured.

But _where_ exactly was this Predacon? Starscream hung around, waiting until a groundbridge portal was opened up for Bumblebee and Arcee. No luck for them- the Predacon was prowling and too strong to yet release. As they left the site, Starscream dashed through the portal and looked around himself. Having had been a Seeker commander, Starscream knew the world's regions extremely well. This was the north in the old, cracked plains near the Sea of Rust and Hydrax Plateau.

He walked into the darkness inside the bunker. Had he been alive and locked in here, it would have been a nightmarish experience doomed to result in his death. The furious growls of a wounded, starving Predacon filled the bunker. Yellow light danced against the walls as the Predacon paced toward him, with a shape similar to Skylynx but with a bluer body and brown wings. Of course, it was completely unaware of him. The beast scratched at the thick wall, gave it a puff of fire, then lay down.

It recoiled and hissed when something slashed its muzzle. The Predacon was not pained much by it, yet it needed to know what had scratched it in the middle of the tunnel. At once, it was hailed by several blows against its joints and sides. Little claws crisscrossed until blood trickled free and needles stabbed into the elbow joint. Jumping sideways, the Predacon turned to blast the attacker with fire.

As brilliant orange lit up the darkness like blinding dawn, the beast could clearly see that there was nothing there. The attacks kept coming, all down its gut and its wings. The Predacon danced about, slashing the air, biting, and breathing fire, but nothing stopped the building pain. It shrieked in confusion and charged into the wall, rolled over the floor in insanity, and lashed its tail frantically.

Miraculously, the invisible attack ceased.

Starscream dropped his arms in exhaustion and felt a throb of dizziness. He stumbled back and thought, _What is happening?_ Lately, he had often been interacting physically with the living world, and while he had thought himself to be all-powerful, it seemed that it was fatiguing his spirit.

Now, he was forced to stop, but in reflection, Starscream thought that moving his coffin had been more strenuous. Why did he feel so weak now? It was frustrating and he hated any limitation on his new might. Maybe he needed to take a break, as he had been interacting with things constantly since he had discovered that he could.

He dragged himself out into the open, standing with wings drooped and staring at the ground. How odd, that he felt too exhausted to even hurry back to the _Nemesis_ at the moment. The purple aura around him dimmed as he worried. He _would_ get stronger again, would he not? If he just waited…

The night was creeping in. He glared at the ground and quivered with impatience.

"'Scream…"

Starscream snapped his head in the direction of Cliffjumper's voice. The other spirit was wisely far from him, but his presence surprised Starscream. Had he been here the entire time with Arcee? Had there been times before this where Cliffjumper had been spying on Starscream without him noticing?

"You're not looking so good, you know."

Cliffjumper looked ready to say more, but Starscream growled and rushed at him. Far too slow, Starscream failed to reach him before Cliffjumper vanished. Once again, however, he had done that trick. It had looked like Cliffjumper had teleported away, and Starscream had no idea how he had done it.

The voice came from far behind him. Cliffjumper called, "The dark energon, 'Scream!"

Starscream zipped toward him, but he vanished again. This time, Starscream kept looking all around him to see where Cliffjumper would appear next.

Above him.

"It is poison."

He chased him, wearily, but his rage was making him faster.

"Even to you. You're still made of Primus' light; you weren't made by Unicron! And Unicron, destroys life. It's hurting you, can't you tell?"

"I am fatigued because I have been quite active," Starscream hissed. "I only need to rest."

"No, 'Scream. Look at yourself. You-"

Starscream finally got close enough and tore his claws through him. Cliffjumper boomed in pain, then disappeared again. Stopping where he was, Starscream floated and searched for Cliffjumper. It was quiet for a few seconds, then he heard him, hidden within the ground.

"You aren't as bright as you were before… You have to stop, at least to save yourself."

Starscream now glanced at his arms, turning his palms to the sky. No, he did not think he looked any different. He was still quite bright to himself, unlike Cliffjumper, who had become paler from Starscream's attacks.

_He is lying,_ said the whisper within.

"You are lying," Starscream hissed. "Trying to trick me to abandon my plans for revenge!"

There was no answer.

"You are desperate!" Starscream called. "Do you actually believe I will fall for your lies? There is no other way for you to stop me, so this is what you have resorted to! Mere trickery to frighten me!"

Starscream sighed and tried now to rest while the night was still young. He floated off out of range of the Predacon's growls, then lay down over the ground. Realistically, lying down was not any more relaxing since the ground was not truly holding him. But out of habit, Starscream did it anyway and looked up into the sky.

It was one of those clear nights, when the moonlight could reflect off the metal and make the world glow. When one looked toward the horizon, there was a blurry line and a silver shimmer. It was stunningly beautiful, but it only made Starscream remember the night he had been killed. The weather had too been fine that night, the wind gentle, and flying good.

Above were the same moons that had watched him writhe in his energon, and the stars too, that he had reached to for escape. The stars especially invoked sadness, those enchanting, almost permanent specks, because he had wanted so much to be in the sky with them when the Predacons had begun mauling him. But he had been too weak to move, and he had only finally reached the stars after the release of death.

Starscream raised his hand and checked it again. He still could not see a difference, but Cliffjumper's words were getting to him in the quietude. What if it was true? His words sounded so logical, and for that, he was growing frightened.

_I don't want to disappear_, he thought under the stars, just as he had once thought under them, _I don't want to die._

_There is nothing for you to fear_.

Starscream disagreed. _Yes, there is. I cannot rid myself of this taint… so if it is destroying me… am I doomed then, to disappear?_

_No, of course not._

_What?_ he thought, so confused by the certain statement that contradicted everything he felt.

_We are bonded, one together with the same purpose: to harm and ultimately destroy life._

That was far too unusual to think. _You_? _We_? Starscream only ever thought to himself in the first person, yet… Now that he thought about it, this had been happening earlier.

_Yes, it began recently. In your time of pain, you searched deep within yourself. You found me, Starscream. And I have since then been encouraging you, helping you remain focused, easing your suffering..._

Starscream thought, _Unicron._

_A whisper._


	12. Contract

His spark gave a little shiver, but he did not feel afraid. It was not Unicron himself, that Starscream knew for he had seen Unicron trapped in the container. So this voice was a piece of him, the tiniest trace of dark energon clinging to his vengeful spark. In that case, Starscream thought himself to be safe from harm.

The voice confirmed, _Yes, I do not have the power to harm you. _

_What power do you have? _Starscream asked in thought. _What else can you offer me?_

_Ah, how ambitious you are. Your energy pleases me, but you are already aware of the advantages I offer you through my blood bound to your spark._

Starscream knew what he meant, yet wanted more.

_But know that you can rely upon the dark energon to give you extra strength, in the same way living Cybertronians can gain strength by consuming dark energon. _

It was not raising-the-dead-to-obey-him levels of power, however.

_There is no need for more abilities; you have everything you need. Nonetheless, I have use for your insatiable appetite for power and revenge. _

Starscream deduced, _You want to work with me to destroy sparks. This is why the dark energon does not wound me like it does others._

_The end of life is my prime objective. You are a rare opportunity, one that may never occur again, perhaps. A spark cannot be touched, captured, or harmed by the living. You are invincible and can kill as you please._

_And I will kill them_, Starscream thought. _We are in complete agreement._

_We are. There is no danger for you in accepting my power, and we both get what we desire in the end._

Starscream blinked at the sky and sank with relief. Why should he not accept Unicron, when Primus and the Allspark had failed him? Even if the Allspark could accept his tainted spark, it only offered such a narrow, painful fate where he would lose his memories and himself. Another god had stepped in to save him, so Starscream did not care that the hand patting his back was clawed, if it was not going to scratch him.

He felt a little stronger now and started plotting as only he could. Starscream wanted to torture Megatron more than anything, and even his claws curled and clenched in want, but he thought of something that could only be done tonight. If he waited, he might miss this opportunity. The voice went quiet, but Starscream knew that the piece of Unicron was there, hearing every thought in silent agreement.

Now, Starscream flew to where the Predacons resided and found Ripclaw sleeping separately from the others. He approached her and touched her spark.

_Ripclaw was excited when Starscream appeared before her in her dream. She forgot everything else to hurry toward him._

"_Oh, there you are, Starscream! You returned!"_

"Yes, I am sorry. I fled before the others found me, for I knew they would come."

"_I am sorry. I heard that they tried to kill you, and they seem very certain that you are dead. But that can't be right, can it? So how did you survive?"_

"They tried to kill me," _he answered._ "It was incredibly painful, but I survived. I tricked everyone into believing that I had perished by using a clone's body, so that they would not search for me."

"_Really? But, but why, Starscream? They said such terrible things about you, that you were bad, a liar, and that you would try to hurt me. Predaking told me to never to speak to you again."_

"I am happy then that you gave me a chance, for I am not a liar," _Starscream smiled._ "I can prove it as well. The Autobots are the ones deceiving you. I know something they are hiding."

"_What?"_

"They have a Predacon captured in a bunker. Cloned by someone else, and now imprisoned underground near the Hydrax Plateau. The Autobots have been depriving him of energon for days. Isn't that cruel? And those Autobots would have you believe that _they_ are the honest ones, kind and accepting of Predacons."

"_No! Th-that can't be… How could they do that? Starscream! Can you lead me there?"_

"I do not know... after all, the Autobots would not be pleased if you went…"

"_Please! We have to do something!"_

"Well, if you insist." _Starscream grinned. _"Start flying away from the moon. You are not too far away and should reach the place by first light. I will catch up with you in the sky, but you won't hear me because of my protective technology. You will not always see me either, but I will guide you."

_As her mind churned to remember this, Ripclaw drifted out of the dream. _She blinked, staring at the metal in front of her claws. Carefully, she raised her head and glanced around the dark clearing. Predaking was alone, still and unmoving, and Skylynx and Darksteel too seemed deep asleep, limp and quiet in their own area. Rising up slowly, she crept along, lifting her claws and tail to not scrape the ground before she lifted off into the air.

She flew for a while, looking high and low for Starscream. There was a flash of a grey jet in the clouds above, drifting without a sound. She turned slightly right to follow it. Later, when she started drifting off track, she spotted him again for a few moments, before a cloud swallowed him.

_She is so gullible, the stupid beast_.

He could make up any technology, and she would have believed in it. Even if Starscream told her that he was a spirit, she still would have supported him.

They passed by the Hydrax Plateau before dawn as a result of Ripclaw's desperate speed. Starscream landed over the bunker and waved at her to come down. He focused hard on containing himself, to look as solid as possible and not radiate purple. Once she landed, Ripclaw immediately heard the beast inside pacing and growling.

"You see?" Starscream drawled.

Ripclaw, horrified, immediately attacked the crumbled metal of the hole the Autobots had shot closed. Growling, huffing, she tore while Starscream watched with glinting eyes.

"Oh, I would not recommend releasing him," Starscream smirked. "Think of how furious the Autobots would be. Would it not be better to wait for them to return and confront them?"

Ripclaw growled, scratched, and bit, and the Predacon in the darkness rushed toward the sounds. It had not known how to get itself out or where to dig, but it heard the other Predacon and began to tear from its side. Between them, they ripped through the thick metal and opened a little hole. Ripclaw spotted a yellow eye, then hurried to widen the exit.

Starscream vanished before a blue Predacon with brown wings squeezed through and stepped out into the open. Before Ripclaw could transform and speak, the Predacon spread its wings and flapped into the sky like a crazed bat. She bolted after him and forgot Starscream, catching up and flying beside it in confusion. It sniffed and searched in its hunger and need for energon; Starscream knew exactly where the Predacon would end up, but Ripclaw was utterly ignorant.

The ragged Predacon drew closer to the construction effort. At this time, some Autobots with a team of vehicons would be at work, exposed and unprepared. Starscream was ready for vehicon slaughter, eager to see them scream and break. Such was the plan- the added bonuses being if any Autobots or Ripclaw got injured, the main goal being the death of the Predacon as they tried to stop it.

Two Aerialbots had been left with Bulkhead's instructions. Fireflight gawked at the two Predacons flying near, and he leaned to Air Raid.

"Do you see that?" He pointed.

Air Raid looked up. "Are they some of those Predacon allies? No one told us they would be coming here today…"

They stood and watched as the Predacon in front nosedived into the edge of the construction project. Soon after it disappeared between buildings, cries of terror rose and made them jump.

Starscream cackled as the Predacon slammed down upon two vehicons, snaring them in its claws. Ripclaw roared in horror and dove, but she could not have made it in time. The vehicons squirmed, the Predacon jerked forward to bite them, and Starscream leaned forward in anticipation. Yet the Predacon halted all at once when it spotted the Decepticon insignias on their chests. All training had forbidden it to attack them, as starved as it was. It released the vehicons and flapped upwards with a screech.

When the Predacon spotted the two incoming jets marked with Autobot insignias, its eyes burned in delight. By then, Ripclaw slammed down upon its back, digging in claws and forcing it out of the sky. The Predacon instantly turned upon her, all savagery and experience despite its weakness. Jaws snapped into her throat and it turned, churning claws into her underbelly.

The Aerialbots swooped around them, but did not know how to intervene. The two Predacons were caught in a bloody knot, one apparently feral while the other was trying to stop it. When they saw an opening, they shot the wild Predacon in the back. It reared back and turned, standing over Ripclaw while vehicons fled the scene. At that moment, Ripclaw's thick tail opened and stabbed the Predacon in the abdomen. It screeched and reacted, biting and tearing her, but in response, her tail locked and pushed in more venom.

Starscream watched in surprise as slowly, the Predacon's movements stilled. There was no way he could have foreseen this, yet it was all perfect.

One of the Aerialbots had called for back-up. Ripclaw pushed away the Predacon and crawled, heavily wounded and whimpering. As the portal opened and Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee broke through, Ripclaw collapsed. There was less damage than expected, with the carnage collected between the two Predacons. Ripclaw, Arcee recognized well, so she only pointed her blaster at the wild one. There was no need, however; the Predacon's eyes flickered as it neared death.

Cliffjumper had come with Arcee, saw the fallen Predacons, and Starscream smiling over them. Face aghast, he cried, "What have you done?"

Starscream glanced away from the Predacon to Cliffjumper, smile still glued to his face.

"I have achieved something I would not have in life." He could not resist boasting, despite the itch to obliterate Cliffjumper now. "I have killed a Predacon. Fitting, is it not? Not exactly the way I intended, but in consideration of things, I prefer this outcome. And now, I am going to tear apart its beastly spark."

"Haven't you done enough?" Cliffjumper yelled. "Leave it alone!"

Cliffjumper rushed closer, arms and fingers spread as he stared into Starscream's eyes. In his desperation, he was inconsiderate of how close he was to Starscream. Eyes half-lidded, Starscream laughed, "You can call me anything you like, Cliffjumper. But you cannot stop me, now can you?"

"No! 'Scream- _no_! You can't! Look at all you have already done- this is beyond revenge! This is evil! You are doing this out of spite, there is nothing to gain, it won't change anything for you, or heal you!"

The Predacon's eyes dimmed despite his continuous cries. Cliffjumper was forced to watch in quivering horror as the vulnerable spark lifted from the body, huge with a fresh brightness in its eyes. Starscream came closer, letting himself be the first thing the Predacon's spark saw. Purple flickered around him, but the Predacon did not take heed of it. Believing itself to still be in battle and hunger, the beast shrieked and lunged at Starscream.

He did not move. The Predacon slammed its claws through him, recoiled, and wailed in pain. It stumbled back and expanded its eyes, before it tried again. It lunged and bit his purple chest, before screaming and floating away. Starscream chuckled and stepped forward, and although he was the smaller one, it was the beast that retreated now.

Its eyes were wide in confusion and fear, flickering around, taking in its corpse and the invincible enemy before it. Starscream curled his claws, eager and sadistic, before Cliffjumper leapt in front of him.

"No, stop, Starscream! I know why you want to, but you can't go that far! You killed it already! Why is that not enough for you?"

Starscream uttered, "Do you really think this makes up for everything? That Predacon is not at all responsible for my death."

"Exactly! So just let it go, Starscream."

His eyes narrowed and his smile vanished. "Never."

Cliffjumper dove into him, latching on despite the pain. He pulled at Starscream's memory at that moment to overwhelm them both.

_Both Cliffjumper and Starscream were pressed against the throne, pleading and whimpering. The beastly faces settled, eyes seeming to blanken of emotion as they looked over them._

Starscream hollered, shoved, and kicked. Cliffjumper fell away groaning, and Starscream quaked and danced about, stressed and disorientated. It was different than remembering it himself, for when Cliffjumper latched on and pried for memories, it was all Starscream could see as though it was happening in the now. The voice told him to focus, and things cleared. He saw Cliffjumper, but the Predacon's spark was gone now.

"No!" Starscream boomed. "No, you-"

Cliffjumper sank into the ground, and Starscream dove in after him, slipping through the solid surface like entering a murky pool. He despised this clever trick of his, racing away into darkness to escape him a second time. Starscream swiped and heard a cry, but he could not repeat it again. Not matter which way he dashed in the darkness, it seemed that Cliffjumper had escaped again.

_He won't be able to keep it up much longer_, Starscream thought as he rose. _I got him again, and each time, he gets a little paler. Before he knows it, he will be gone._

Starscream managed to come to the surface diagonally, near Ripclaw and the Autobots. Their conversation immediately captured his attention and softened his frustration. Despite her wounds, Ripclaw had forced herself to transform so that she could speak. But as the Autobots harassed her with questions, Ripclaw became inconsolable.

"Why isn't he moving?" she coughed repeatedly. "Will he be alright?"

Arcee demanded, "Did you release that Predacon? How did you find it?"

"What did I do?" Ripclaw moaned. "Why aren't you helping him? Why do you hate Predacons?"

"We don't hate Predacons. This is a misunderstanding, " Bumblebee said. "Ripclaw, listen to me."

"Why did he attack them?" she mewled. "Why isn't he moving?"

She reached in the Predacon's direction, but she could not get up from where she sat.

"Who told you where the Predacon was?" Bumblebee asked. "Was it… Starscream?"

"Starscream!" she wailed. "Oh, why didn't I listen to him? Starscream told me you had a Predacon, but he told me to leave it. I should have listened to him, I shouldn't have…"

"Starscream?" Arcee demanded.

She choked, "Yes, he told me the-the truth! You were hiding this from us! You hate Predacons! Starscream is not the liar, you are!"

Starscream could see the minds of the Autobots working to figure out how to undo this.

Arcee made a call. "Ultra Magnus, Sir, I think we need Predaking here."

"I do not believe that is a sound idea," he replied through the comm. link. "He will not be pleased either that we did not inform him about the savage Predacon earlier."

"We are having Starscream-related issues with Ripclaw again. I think we should gather all the Predacons together to resort this mess, Sir."

The three other Predacons were quickly gathered, and between Ripclaw and the body, Predaking did not know where to begin.

"Ripclaw, how did you get here?" Predaking called to her, before looking to the Autobots. "Where did this Predacon come from? What happened? Are there others?"

"They locked up a Predacon!" Ripclaw wailed.

"We had to," Bumblebee explained as Predaking turned to him. "She does not understand, but listen to us before things get out of hand."

"You knew about another Predacon and did not immediately tell me?"

"It was not like you," Bumblebee sighed. "It was… a bot-eater."

Predaking's mood dropped at once.

Ripclaw cried, "What? What do you mean?"

"I see," Predaking murmured.

Arcee padded closer to where Ripclaw sat. "I am sorry that you got caught into this. But Starscream, he tricked you into doing this, making you release the feral Predacon."

"But _I _asked him to show me, and then I did not listen when he said not to-"

"Starscream was involved?" Predaking cut in. "I knew it! He was the reason you left in the night! I warned you to stay away from him! You did not listen, and now look at what has happened as a result!"

"But this was not his fault!" she gasped. "How could it be?"

"Because he knew your emotions would get the better of you," Bumblebee replied. "He acted innocent so that you would feel at fault. Starscream wants you to trust him so he can use you, and today he used you to kill this Predacon. He might have even hoped for you to perish as well."

"No, no… You were the ones lying! You were depriving that Predacon of energon!"

Bumblebee was still worried that Predaking would explode on him, finding it hard to accept how understanding he seemed to be. He answered steadily, "The Predacon was savage and dangerous. We trapped it, for we were not ready to confront it at full strength. We never would have left it to die. We swear that we were going to inform you, but not until it was weaker. You might have reacted as Ripclaw had, and released it."

"No," Predaking answered. "You are mistaken. I comprehend how dangerous he was to you, so I would not have released him. I believe that you were going to bring me to him, once he was calmer."

"You do?" Bumblebee blinked.

"Yes." He glanced at the body with a sorrowful gaze. "But Ripclaw does not know better, so Starscream… Starscream must be behind this. Predacons were targeted, and one killed. This is his revenge."

"It _does_ seem like Starscream," Bulkhead said. "Right? Going after Megatron and Predacons, it _has_ to be him."

"So Starscream _is _alive?" Predaking pressed.

The Autobots hesitated.

"I know he is full of tricks, but how could Starscream have gotten his hands on such powerful technology?" Bumblebee sighed. "And we do not even know how he could appear in dreams. I think we have to accept that this is a threat we have never encountered before: a spirit."

"What?" Predaking uttered. "What do you mean?"

"'Bee, are you sure?" Bulkhead rumbled. "Are you actually going to start believing this?"

"I know what Ultra Magnus said, and I know what Ratchet said." Bumblebee dropped his shoulders. "This _is_ the sort of thing that happens in Earth stories and films and has never been recorded in our history. But, nothing else explains these strange and dangerous incidents. I don't think I am just influenced by Earth culture. I simply think this is the only logical explanation."

Arcee said, "I am ready to believe that Starscream is back, but not as a spirit. You know how deceptive he is. I bet you that he has devised a complicated plan with clones, and is laughing at us somewhere now."

Darksteel cut in, "Shouldn't we be doing something for Ripclaw?"

Everyone paused in surprise at his interruption. Even Ripclaw had been too focused to care about herself. With the reminder, however, Predacons and Autobots ceased their discussion and carried Ripclaw toward the med bay. After passing into the _Nemesis_, Ratchet trailed them in the halls.

"I have provided the vehicon with a neck brace," he mentioned. "We can send him off and place her in that berth."

Megatron and Knockout heard the rustle in the hall and as a new resident moved in beside them. The helpless, frightened vehicon was lifted off the berth and told that he could go home. Unable to talk, he cling to bots in panic and refused to leave. Autobots, like anyone else, barely recognized vehicons as individuals and saw his behaviour now as a nuisance.

"What is wrong with him?" Ripclaw forgot her own pains.

"He was attacked and had his voice box torn out," Ratchet grunted. "Starscream… seems to be the one responsible, and he has been reported harming and frightening the troopers incessantly."

"Starscream…" Ripclaw murmured to herself.

Bulkhead tried to take the vehicon out of the overcrowded room. The other Predacons were indifferent, but Ripclaw then supported the vehicon, "He might get hurt again, so that is why he wants to stay. Won't you protect him?"

The words of the outsider made them reconsider their actions and wear expressions of guilt.

"We can put him in another room in this hall," Bumblebee decided. "There is no harm in letting him stay longer, especially since he cannot work."

The mute vehicon relaxed and glanced at the Predacon, his expressionless face somehow conveying gratitude.

"Is it really safe here though?" Bulkhead mumbled after the vehicon had been escorted out. "Megatron was scratched by uh, 'Starscream' in the other room. So then, he comes here whenever he wants and we don't know it. We couldn't even protect the trooper if we wanted to."

"Don't talk like that," Arcee said. "We can."

Ultra Magnus burst in at that moment and most of them stiffened, thinking that he was going to reprimand them about possibly believing in Starscream's ghost. But there was all purpose in his limping gait, as he clutched a beeping device. Upon passing the threshold, he proclaimed, "I am detecting dark energon within the area. Everyone move back."

Starscream widened his eyes as Ultra Magnus walked straight toward him. He shot back and phased through the wall into the proper med bay with Megatron inside. Ultra Magnus halted at the wall, turned, and hurried to the next room. Starscream saw the door open and Ultra Magnus there, once again coming straight at him, device in his clawed hand and other arm formed into a blaster. Megatron jolted, but Ultra Magnus was not paying him any attention.

_Scrap_, Starscream thought. He glanced at Megatron, then held his ground in the furthest corner.

The beeping intensified as Ultra Magnus drew closer and stepped into a cold spot. Then, it went silent. The tracker, without warning, died and no longer responded to him.

Knockout and Megatron stared. Ultra Magnus swiped through the air, but felt nothing but the cold. Eventually, the cold drifted away and he had to deal with the frustration of knowing he had been onto something but lost it. He turned to them and curtly explained, "Someone was here. The device picked up a moving source containing dark energon."

Knockout yelped, "Here? Just now?" His eyes flickered around, and Starscream saw that even Megatron's pupils tightened. Neither had known, and that frightened them both.

"He may still be here." Ultra Magnus raised his blaster. "There is no way to be sure, for the tracker has just been tampered with."

"What?" Knockout gasped. "Do you mean, in that corner, _he_ just disabled it?"

Knockout stepped closer to Ultra Magnus in the centre of the room, looking all around them in horror. As he did, he noticed that the other Autobots had slipped into the room after following the commander.

"What do we do?" Bulkhead asked while pointing his own blasters around.

"I don't think we can hit him," Bumblebee said.

"Doctor?" Ultra Magnus asked Ratchet, although calling that had briefly startled Knockout.

"I am not certain." Ratchet's voice was tense in what felt like a time-sensitive moment. Everyone was expecting now an attack after cornering their enemy, as though this was the final confrontation. Starscream chuckled and relished their stress, watching them fidget and shake, desperate for action and something to shoot. Megatron was anxious in the odd, helpless state, and the others shared his emotion.

Starscream kept watching and doing nothing, for inaction was an action- he was torturing their sanity. There was a bang as Predaking slammed the button and opened the door, alarming everyone and very nearly getting shot where he stood. But his figure was so large that they halted and recognized in the last millisecond that this was not Starscream.

"What is going on here?" he demanded. "Why did you abandon Ripclaw?"

"Dark energon was detected," Bumblebee replied. "There was a bot here."

"A bot?" Predaking asked while Skylynx and Darksteel glanced in behind him. "You mean Starscream?"

Starscream slipped back to Ripclaw's room where she had been left alone. Her eyes were open as she listened to the incomprehensible, muffled voices on the other side of the wall. At the same time, she quaked as she came to terms that she had killed another Predacon. He crept closer, extending his claws. Now was a good time as any to panic the others. As they were talking, they would hear her screams and realize their mistake in leaving her alone.

She felt cold near her face before he had touched her. Ripclaw gasped, "Starscream? Are you there?"

He paused. He had not expected discussion, and he wondered if he ought to show himself before tearing her or just get on with it.

"Starscream?" she repeated. "I am sorry I did not listen to you…"

He only drew back his hand to laugh into it. How did the Predacon _still_ believe him to be innocent? After what everyone had said, Starscream had assumed it would be over.

"I know you tried to stop me. You did not want anyone to get hurt, right?" she whispered, but with just enough tension to reveal doubt and that she was frightened.

Something began to manifest beside her. Soon, the form of Starscream could be seen, but something was not right. His body had a purple hue and mist of the same colour surrounded him. But it was his eyes that were the most unsettling, for they were now hard when before they had seemed friendly.

"You know nothing about me," Starscream breathed.

"What do you mean? If you are upset, you should tell me. I will tell the others for you!"

Her concern in her fear seemed only to irritate him. His eyes narrowed.

"You are no different than the other Predacons," he hissed.

"What?"

He raised his claws to strike, and she flinched back in horror.

"You are a beast, like them!" he cried. "A vile, predatory creature that slaughters others just like you have this day! I-"

Ripclaw wailed, "No, I am not! I didn't _mean_ to kill the other Predacon-"

"Of course you did not. That is your nature!"

Starscream disappeared at the sound of the door, but he remained where he was and stared forward. Ratchet and the Predacons entered, but paused when Ripclaw looked to her side and spoke.

She continued with a voice soft in genuine emotion. "I am so sorry… I understand why you feel that way…"

"Ripclaw!" Predaking hollered. "Who are you talking to?"

His beating spark dreaded the answer, but she murmured it regardless.

"Starscream," she said. "He is here."

Everyone gawked at the empty space, but Ripclaw was sure of herself, looking there as though she could see someone that they could not.

"Please, say something to him," she whispered.

"Starscream?" Predaking shouted. "_Starscream_! Show yourself!"

They waited, but nothing happened. Ripclaw felt the chill fading away.

"No wait! Don't leave!" she yelped.

The other Autobots filtered into the room at the cries, of evident, new development. They went rigid in dread when they heard her last statement.

"Was he here?" Ultra Magnus demanded. "Did you see him?"

"Yes," she gasped. "But he was different, more purple, and with purple all around his body… He was angry with me…"

"Did he hurt you?" Predaking barked.

"No, but he wanted to," Ripclaw murmured. "Because of what you did to him, he hates all Predacons…"

* * *

Starscream departed completely, knowing that he had missed his opportunity. Furthermore, he kept forgetting to reserve his hauntings for the night. In the meantime, he wanted to take out his rage over all the chances he had missed recently. He had neither destroyed the feral Predacon or Cliffjumper, and then- the most frustrating part- _he_ had prevented himself from relishing a golden situation.

Ripclaw had been right there, and all he had to do was scratch her face. Why had he stopped to speak? Every sweet word she said filled him with hate, yet still he had listened to the Predacon.

_I have to be more decisive. Talking cost me my life! When will I learn this lesson? Next time, I will strike!_

He stood before sheets of metal and slashed them with his fingers. They screeched as white marks cut them left and right, but there was no one around to hear them. Starscream was alone in his crazed state as he became more worked up. He imagined Ripclaw's face in the place of the metal, although Starscream imagined her Predacon face instead of the one he had just spoken to.

_Die!_ Starscream glared and swiped, wishing that he could have felt the metal to imagine it was hers. _You miserable Predacon! You are nothing! You think that you are different? It is in your CNA! _

"I will end you! _Perish_, beast! I should have destroyed you before you were ever conscious!"

He swayed backwards as fatigue overtook him. Starscream slouched and tried to relax, knowing that he was going to need energy tonight for Megatron and Shockwave. Perhaps vehicons as well, maybe Smokescreen, if he had the energy and time.

_You must treat the days as your resting time,_ the voice advised him. _You have been pushing hard each day and night for too long. _

Starscream agreed.

_Keep watch on your enemies. Simply know where they are._

He came back to the _Nemesis_, where Ratchet had gotten to operating on Ripclaw in her beast form. The other Predacons had not left and were all crammed into the room, watching. All the Autobots who had been there before remained, keeping guard on Megatron, the vehicon, and Ripclaw. Ultra Magnus, however, was back at the front in case someone made a call. He was standing and dismantling the tracker, trying to figure out what had been done to it.

Starscream repeated his trick with the cameras; he placed his fingers through the technology, hardened his fingertips, then cut wires on the inside. Now, Starscream looked around and wondered what had become of the new Cybertronians. It seemed for all reason that they had been sent away for their own safety. That of course, pleased him to have been deemed to be such a threat.

_They mentioned other Autobot refugees and the Dinobots. That is where they will be. _

Once the newly forged Cybertronians were out of sight, however, Starscream lost interest in pursuing them. To see the Autobots adoring them had sickened him and filled him with jealousy, but now that it had stopped, he thought the new Cybertronians were not worth the effort.

Starscream found out that Ultra Magnus' ship was repaired and flight-capable. It had whizzed by him in the sky under Wheeljack's control, which made Starscream think of the repairs on the _Nemesis_. Yes, down below and ignorant of today's drama, Smokescreen was watching over a gang of vehicons at work. Starscream did not know much about engineering, but it seemed that the _Nemesis_ too would be back in the air very soon.

The Aerialbots were scattered to monitor the vehicons at work around the world. News seemed to have spread to the other Aerialbots through the comm. link, and vehicons must have overheard it, because there was much gossip about the feral Predacon. The story inflated, where vehicons told others that several had gotten injured, some killed even. No one would get it straight until that night when they all gathered.

Elsewhere, Shockwave was hidden in his new base still, double-checking his traps and searching for flaws in his security.

Cliffjumper did not dare come back even to Arcee for a while. Starscream checked all around him, but he never caught sight of the meddlesome spirit again that day.

When night began to fall, Starscream returned to the _Nemesis_ with the knowledge that Ultra Magnus was going to be after him with the tracker. For that reason, he decided that it was time to fool with the strict bot. At the front of the warship, Ultra Magnus stood before the sight of cooling twilight. In the growing darkness, he felt no fear, but responded when the tracker gave a slow beep.

Ultra Magnus gathered the device and rushed away, eyes on the unmoving red dot. Strangely, it was not near the med bay and the hospitalized victims. As Ultra Magnus headed toward its location, he realized that the area he was entering was familiar. Coming closer, it became clear to him that the dark energon signal was coming from Starscream's old room.

His heavy footsteps thudded and echoed in the quiet halls. His eyes flashed up then back down to the screen repeatedly. Gradually, the beeps increased in frequency as he neared the signal. Then, he saw the dot begin to move. Around the corner up ahead, he heard the faint sound of a door closing. His good arm turned into a blaster as he marched on, but then, an unusual feeling came over his spark. The stoic commander felt a pulse of fear that was completely uncalled for, and he immediately questioned it. Nothing had happened and he was a capable bot, so why then, did he feel alone and vulnerable?

His spark sensed the evil near and realized his isolation. He slowed, the beeps growing frantic on the device. Part of him wanted to retreat even without seeing an enemy, but he rounded the corner with the bravery expected of his position. And there, in the middle of the hall was a simple, empty cup. The situation would have otherwise been laughable, but Ultra Magnus was stunned and horrified, for the dark energon signal was situated right where the cup was.

Neither the cup or the dark energon signal moved in the long moments Ultra Magnus stared at them and fought against his sense of dread. He did not know either if he should approach or wait for something to happen.

"Show yourself," he ordered.

The dot moved across the screen and the tracker beeped rapidly in panic. Ultra Magnus stepped back as cold seized his hands and the device was silenced yet again. He shot the floor and the inexplicable cold vanished, but he knew that it had not been his doing. Something had come and gone on its own that he could not touch. His mind was airy as he approached and picked up the cup, but there was nothing special about it. When he dropped it, it stayed down and did nothing in response to him.

Deciding the threat was gone, Ultra Magnus returned to the front and to the cameras. Many of the others were asleep, but the Predacons would be up and Smokescreen, who had again taken Knockout's place as guard. The commander debated on what to do. Even if he warned them, what could he advise them to do? Back at the front of the warship, he monitored the cameras up the hall and in the rooms of the patients, waiting for something to happen to give him a push.

It was absolutely quiet and he could hear his own spark pulsing as he struggled to decide what action to take. He would have sounded an alarm in normal circumstances including an intruder, but something was different and it froze him up. Ultra Magnus leaned toward the computer, focusing and hoping that the solution would become clear. He also felt so sure that he would see a bot appear near the med bay, and he did not imagine that the enemy would be anywhere else.

Not even outside the very room he was alone in.

As he absorbed himself in the camera feeds, three knocks were heard rapping at the door. He spun around, stared, then heard three more taps follow. Carefully, as though afraid to make a sound, Ultra Magnus opened the camera feed that should have showed what was standing on the other side of the door.

All that filled the screen was black and all that was heard, was silence. He did not know that Starscream was already inside the room, watching and grinning. Ultra Magnus crept to the door, opened it, but saw no one standing there. Instead, he lowered his blaster to the ground where the cup now stood. A shiver ran down his back and he turned, looking all around him. Someone else was in the warship. They had followed him, and now, they were here. This was unlike anything he had ever experienced. He did not know what to do, and Starscream could see him realizing his helplessness.

"Who is here?" he demanded.

There was still a ring of entitlement to his voice, as though his enemy was obligated to respectfully answer. Starscream felt ire overtaking him and the dark energon flaring around him. He had not come to harm him, but he decided suddenly that the commander needed to be taught a lesson in respect.

Intense cold pierced Ultra Magnus' neck. He gasped and stumbled, but it stayed attached to him. As though shaking off a physical enemy, Ultra Magnus bucked and spun, and he even pulled at the air behind him to find a leg or grip. The cold remained, and in the length of time it did, Ultra Magnus realized that the cold had shape, like long fingers digging into him.

He hollered and fought, but nothing stopped the nausea and pain from overtaking him. In that long struggle, Ultra Magnus' eyes widened in fear. There was nothing he could do as the energon in his neck began to freeze. Black bordered his vision, stretching inwards. His audio receptors too began to fail him as he staggered, and he tried in desperation to call someone for help, but his voice failed him and made a whistling sound. He wanted to shout but had lost the strength, leaving his mouth only to open and close like a suffocating creature's.

As his head and eyes rolled up, he thought he heard a chuckle, hazy and detached before he went deaf. His hands brushed his throat but could grab no fingers, then his arms dropped in fatigue. The fight for him was over now, with only fear to be felt before he fell unconscious. He collapsed onto his front and sprawled over the floor, prone and twitching, with no one around to come to his aid.

_Kill him._

_No, not yet._ Starscream drew back. If he kept his hands in Ultra Magnus' neck, then the tubes would remain blocked with frozen energon. Too long, and his processor would malfunction and kill him. Left alone now, the heat of his body would thaw the energon and save him.

Starscream already began to head away toward Megatron, but he heard the voice say, _You were so near. Why are you squandering this opportunity? Do you not desire the satisfaction in killing him and tearing apart his spark?_

_I will enjoy myself more if I can frighten him several times. If I kill him now, then I would lose the chance to torture him thoroughly._

Without the voice saying anything more, Starscream sensed anger within himself that was not his own. It startled him, and for once, the dark energon did not feel like a part of him but something with its own mind.

_Why are you impatient? _Starscream thought. _I will kill them all, of course. You know that it is my intention._

The whisper had no answer. Starscream took it as he had won, and continued on his way.

* * *

**If there are typos, I will try to fix them later. Sorry for the delay as well.**


	13. Pathetic

Starscream snagged his cup from outside the door. He hid it in a part of the wall so that it looked as though it had mysteriously disappeared, then he walked on toward the med bay.

There were more memories that Starscream wanted to show Megatron, but he could not make him see them as long as he avoided sleep. As Smokescreen guarded him, Megatron lay awake, which irritated Starscream as it seemed that Megatron thought he could _do_ something about him. He was still too strong and defying him, as typically fearless as ever.

However much Starscream wanted to torture him, Megatron's shouts would just have the Predacons come breaking down the doors. Of course, they could not stop him- no one could. Yet Starscream had one specific scene in mind that he did not want to transpire any other way. When he _did_ torture Megatron, he wanted them to be alone with no one else yelling or watching. With them in private, it modelled the times Megatron had cornered him and beat him in isolation.

To make this come about would be difficult in the warship crammed with bots. There had to be distractions that pulled them away. Perhaps the Predacons and that vehicon he had muted could be used. As Starscream plotted how he would get Megatron alone, however, he realized that it could not happen with Ripclaw around, who would not run or be afraid if he appeared.

_I will wait until she is gone, _he thought. _And until then, build up to the event. _

Starscream visited the vehicon who had the bad luck of being the only one around here to have fallen asleep. Eager to give some nightmares that night, Starscream indulged himself. The vehicon was placed into his body, to tremble and cry out as Megatron attacked him. When he woke, he looked around the room and balled up, expecting a shadow to come at him from any side. The poor trooper knew that he was not alone, thus quaked in expectation that he would be torn apart. This was the juicy response that Starscream wanted from Megatron in the end- no attempt to fight or run, just shaking as he hoped Starscream would not be too cruel.

Starscream gave the button for the door a whack, smirking as the vehicon jolted and clasped his hands in a pleading gesture. After the door closed, the vehicon sat there for several minutes with his fear not dissipating. Out of sadistic interest, Starscream wondered just how long the vehicon would stay afraid if he did nothing else. Would he even be able to sleep again that night, shaking for hours while listening for Starscream?

He would check later. Now, Starscream wanted to give a new Autobot a try before going to Shockwave. Once Ultra Magnus regained his strength, they would all probably be woken. And if Starscream was to haunt one of them, then the obvious choice was Arcee.

One thing death had changed in Starscream was his patience. With no pressure for time and nothing to fear, Starscream had found himself calming. The final goal of killing everyone and destroying their sparks felt less important when he could do it at any time. As he approached Arcee, he crept when he could have floated. Over her small, curled body, he flexed his fingers and leaned slowly forward. Purple flickered into her metal, a minuscule amount that eventually made her eyebrows wrinkle. Like a bot gripped with fever, she tensed in her sleep and groaned softly.

Starscream had not spent so much time looking at Arcee before, for in life, his eyes had usually been locked with her burning gaze. So defiant and confident, detestable. There was plenty that he had seen, but never realized about her. The spikes on her back like winglets lowered when she was unwell, and they just began to tilt now in her nausea. They and most of Arcee were a well-polished blue, but Starscream noticed where all the other colours were now.

A lot of black in her colour scheme, in her arms and legs that were scrawnier than he remembered. There were holes in them too; they looked brittle, and it was hard to believe how hard she hit. Even her torso was thin, though waist thinner, crushable in a hand like Megatron's. Had she always been so small? She had somehow seemed larger when they had fought, but of course, the two-wheeler had always been half his size. It must have been to catch her in this position that surprised him so much. Without glaring eyes and a fearless stance, she was too peaceful for Starscream to understand.

_She was cruel to you,_ he was reminded. _In life, she never cared if you perished, and she was even willing to terminate you herself. Then, recall how she reacted to your death._

Starscream broke out of the reverie and plunged his hand into her spark.

_Like a tidal wave, a force swept away the current dream. Arcee felt as though she had been knocked off her feet and sucked into darkness, before she once again standing on solid ground. She groaned and bent, glanced up and saw her arms raised and holding up the rocky ceiling. _

_Arcee gasped in Starscream's voice and felt her spiked knees wobbling. Her blood was roaring in her body, hot with fear because she recognized how tired she was, believed that no one would come, and knew what would happen when her body could bear no more. __She knew Starscream's thoughts and owned them, thus believed as he had that no Decepticon would save him. Why had the Autobots done this to her? Didn't they realize that he would not be helped? Or did they hate her so much, that they did not care that he would be crushed and killed after hours of terror and fatigue?_

_She tried to step forward, but there was no way she could slide her arms along the ceiling. The moment her balance slipped, the rock would descend. Regardless, it lowered in intervals as she gradually grew weaker. Arcee groaned and rolled her eyes as her legs bent, then, she happened to notice red eyes watching her through the dusty air. Her spark jolted at the sight of Megatron, who stood in a casual slouch and watched her struggle against death._

_ She forgot that he had just tried to kill her. To see someone else here gave her a burst of excitement, but then his interested face made her recall everything. No, this was entertaining him… she was going to die, with help close and only smirking at her._

_She pleaded in a whine for mercy; Megatron smiled gently. Arcee collapsed onto her grey legs and felt the rock pressing down on her head. It was so heavy, guaranteed to crush her flat. It would hurt- she did not want to die! Ground to bloody pieces, buried and forgotten on the planet- she did not want to die!_

"_Master!" she sobbed. "Please, I will be useful, I will be loyal- the obedient air commander you always wanted, since long ago…"_

_Megatron was silent, and it horrified her._

_She begged out her spark with words she fully believed. Arcee wanted to be loyal and serve him, for she was willing to do anything and change if she could just live._

_She wailed as she bent forward, arms giving out. A harsh hand grabbed her waist while the other one slammed up against the ceiling. It happened so fast; she was yanked free just as the rock struck the ground with a resounding boom. Arcee fell onto her hands and knees, wondering how she was not crushed although she had heard the stone drop. With the weight gone, she felt like air. _

_Then, as her bewildered eyes recognized the rock beside her, she realized that Megatron had pulled her free. It was the only explanation. But why had he saved her? No, he wanted to kill her himself! Arcee turned her head and expected a blaster in her face, but __Megatron stared at her as silently as before, now without a smile crossing his face. _

_S__he waited for something to be said, but he turned and stalked off. For a few seconds, she remained on the ground. Then, she stumbled and swayed onto her feet, wings down and back hunched as she followed Megatron. Arcee was too afraid to thank him and remind him of what he had done, in case he changed his mind and turned on her. _

_Megatron contacted Soundwave for a groundbridge after they had emerged into the outside. Arcee was too miserable to appreciate her freedom under the night sky. Upon hearing Soundwave's name, she felt sure that Soundwave had known that Megatron had meant to kill her that day. Arcee walked behind Megatron into the front of the _Nemesis_, and averted her glance when Soundwave's blank face regarded them._

_ Soundwave must have been confused about what had happened, seeing their dusty bodies and wondering why Megatron had brought back Starscream. He might have thought Megatron was wrong and should have left her to rust. She felt the hate harden in her spark for the silent bot who had done nothing to warn her. There was no loyalty or care within him for her; Soundwave too saw her as tiresome and predictable._

_Where was she supposed to go now? She was afraid to linger near Megatron and anger him with her presence, so she crept off like a rat along a wall, trying to be unseen. Vehicon eyes made her paranoid, for she wondered if they somehow knew Megatron had wanted to kill her. Arcee grasped parts jutting out from the wall with her claws, briefly and firmly to steady herself. _

_On the way to the oil baths, Arcee encountered Breakdown. He halted and gawked at Starscream, for she was coated in reddish dust and looked half-dead._

"_Whoa, what happened to you?"_

"_Get out of my way," she uttered. _

"_Was it the Autobots?" he asked, amused at her curtness. "Did they beat you into the ground?"_

"_You dare mock me?" She spun around. "I came for you when Megatron did not, rescuing you from those miserable humans! And where were you today?"_

"_Huh?"_

_She did not want to yell out what had happened. It was quite embarrassing, that Megatron had intended to terminate her and all she had done was beg so pathetically. It was best to shut up and let this remain a secret from Breakdown, Knockout, and Airachnid. But it still hurt that no one had protected her; she felt betrayed and pathetic, for only Megatron's uncaring mercy had saved her._

_Arcee stalked off, remembered a long bath, then how she had felt sheltered in her room with a cup of energon and loneliness._

Arcee opened her eyes when the hand withdrew. She made no move, but continued to lie on her side and stare forward for a long time.

_What was the point of that?_ the voice asked, and Starscream felt his disapproval.

_Perspective, _he thought back. _She will regret her actions and feel ashamed as an Autobot._

_There is no purpose in that. You came to frighten and harm her, but you failed your original objective. _

He was right, but Starscream felt irritated that he was being critiqued. Why should he have to hear his judgement? Starscream wanted to at last be free to do as he pleased, but now glared at the word he had used: _failed_. As powerful as he was, someone was still scorning him, believing him to be a failure just as every Autobot and Decepticon had before.

"I failed nothing!" he snapped. "_I_ decide what to do!"

_You are too weak. If you were certain about your revenge, you would have already killed them._

"You question my motivation?" he hissed. "You know how I have suffered! This _is_ my revenge: slow and miserable for those who slighted me in life, because it gives me greater total pleasure! I am not afraid to harm them."

Starscream hardened his fingertips and quickly slashed Arcee across the top of her head. It had gone against what Starscream had planned, but he had felt a need to prove himself. His spark sought approval that he was not worthless, so hungry for it that he did not realize that in doing so, he was falling under a new master.

Arcee gasped and touched her head, pulled back her hand and saw energon on her fingertips. She felt shallow rips and knew what they had been caused by.

"Starscream is here!" she called.

Everyone else jolted awake and she repeated herself. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Wheeljack jumped to attention and pointed their blasters, panning with them as though scanning the room. Starscream hissed in annoyance that they thought that they had any power to defeat him. The voice then prompted him, _Were you not planning to target Shockwave?_

_Yes,_ he thought.

_Before day arrives._

When the piece of Unicron reminded him before he had thought it himself, Starscream felt foolish. In this way, he did feel like a failure regardless of what he had just done, that he could not stand alone and needed a more powerful and focused figure to rely on. Starscream naturally did not realize or think this, but he was gripped by instinct.

He left immediately to visit Shockwave in his new hideout. The scientist had remained there without leaving, surrounded in his traps and expecting to catch his enemy. A bot like Shockwave could not have lived without the answers to what happened to him the other night, and now that he felt prepared, he did not feel afraid.

He was awake and silent at his computer, but Starscream knew that he was just waiting for new messages from the unknown enemy to interrupt his work. His sureness was an annoyance, so Starscream decided that he would not give Shockwave what he wanted. Instead, he left to cut off all power and cast more than just the computer into darkness. With no warning or explanation, everything went black and Shockwave was left in gripping darkness.

He did not know how someone had gotten past his defenses into the heart of the hideout. His red eye glowed like a beacon as it waited for the standby generator to kick in. However, when there should have been back-up power and guiding lights, there was nothing and no cure for the dark.

As Shockwave stood in place, he heard a clink and felt at once that the dark presence was near him. Starscream knew that he would shoot soon, and so, Starscream crept closer until he was within arm's reach of Shockwave, stopped, then waited.

Shockwave knew he could create his own light in the thick darkness of the closed room. His spark felt the threat, the evil and the dark energon dangerously close. He loaded up a charge and fired, but in that split second where purple light lit up the area around him, he saw something. A flash of Starscream's corpse, torn and bloody right in front of him, before black closed around them once again.

Shockwave jumped and lurched back, then he felt the cold hands find him and grip him. He tripped back into the computer and flailed, trying to throw off the body but was unable to. The fingers sank into him, poking bleeding holes and scampering up his chest. Dead hands, brushing, tearing, and desperate. Shockwave charged off to the side toward the door and fired a shot behind him. Glancing back, he saw the blast pass through the moving cadaver before the dark concealed it.

With a thundering spark, he frantically searched for the door. When he opened it and rolled through, he charged blindly down the hall. Many of his traps had relied on the laboratory's power, but not all. Shockwave did not forget about them, but was so shocked with terror that he plowed on. Pressure plates triggered steel and barbed hooks to shoot into him, snag, and pull him by cords. Shockwave stumbled but did not stop running; he only yanked them out and ignored the ugly gauges he gave himself. He hit corners, then followed each turn, knowing the maze and rising successfully toward the exit.

Energon dribbled down his arms and chest, but he did not mind the pain. He heard scrapes and clangs behind him every few seconds in the pitch black, and knowing for certain that his shots were useless, Shockwave felt helpless. It was a hard feeling to cope with, and he did not even know if he would make it out of this living nightmare. The threat was something Shockwave had never seen before, something dead but indestructible, but not even Starscream in his scared mind. A monster who had the appearance of Starscream, whose motives he did not consider.

Shockwave realized he was near the exit and was too impatient to open the door. Pointing his arm forward, he fired to blow apart the metal. The streak of purple blasted the door to pieces, but as all settled and moonlight flooded in, Shockwave made out the body now standing at the doorway and blocking his path.

He skidded to a halt in his horror, staring and unable to grasp how Starscream had gotten ahead of him. Purple eyes returned Shockwave's gaze from a body no longer damaged. Starscream was whole and looked alive, healthy with a cocked head as though inquisitive. Oddly though, he was surrounded by a haze of purple, like a shard of glowing dark energon.

"Did you miss me, Shockwave?" His voice was like frost on bones. Starscream had never sounded like this before, in any of the moods Shockwave had heard him. Yet in some way, death was embedded into his tone, and it chilled Shockwave to the core.

He was petrified for several moments, before his mind commanded his body, _Move_. Shockwave charged at Starscream at full speed, passed through him, and burst free into the outside. Jumping forward, he transformed and struck the ground to drive away at full speed. Behind him, Starscream had turned languidly to watch him leave. Then, he faded away until all that remained was the dark hole that led into the laboratory.

Starscream followed high up so that Shockwave could not feel him, but Shockwave was well enough aware that he was being followed. He drove on into the night, never slowing until he reached another laboratory. This one he had chosen carefully; it was small and open, like the one in Six Lasers Over Cybertron. He could not be trapped in there. Upon arriving, however, Shockwave did not go inside. Already he seemed to understand the danger in the night, so he waited outside until the sun was well above the horizon.

* * *

To answer his question, the vehicon had not been able to fall asleep again. If it would have been the same for Arcee, Starscream would never know. None of the Autobots slept again that night.

* * *

Starscream had gone, and Shockwave was no fool. He deduced that he had been followed physically, and that he was not being tracked. Once the day came and he believed that Starscream had departed, he stepped into his lab. Nothing attacked him. He grabbed a remote control groundbridge. Nothing stopped him. He teleported himself far away, drove to another lab, then used the groundbridge there to teleport himself again. No coordinates would show where he was. Shockwave drove one final distance, then finally settled in Tagan Heights.

* * *

The _Nemesis_ was clenched with drama during the day. Ultra Magnus had informed them of his near death experience and of the cup from Starscream' room that had appeared before he was attacked. The fact that it was gone now concerned the Autobots and Knockout who were listening. The Predacons were at the moment far away in the one room, and the Aerialbots had been decisively kept out of it. No one wanted to get them involved if they had so far been left alone. They simply asked them to mind the vehicons for them, and stay away from the _Nemesis_ as they tackled a private issue.

Since last night, Ultra Magnus had been stunned and hesitant on what to say. He had argued that the enemy had many special technologies, but now, he could not justify it all. He had been touched and unable to touch the other bot, which did not at all add up. The only plausible answer was that he had been attacked by a spirit, but the commander did not want to admit it. All he did was encourage Ratchet to find a scientific solution to their problem.

Ratchet had considered Starscream's ghost a possibility since Knockout's scare, and he was now fully convinced of it. It was time to get down to business: how to capture an extinguished spark. Starscream snorted at the concept, but then Ratchet revealed that he had an idea, but best not speak about it in case he could be heard.

_Well,_ Starscream thought. _You may try, but I will sabotage anything you create!_

Vehicons would cease working on the _Nemesis_; for their safety and so that Starscream could not seize control of a functional warship. In concern for Ripclaw, the Autobots then recommended to her that she leave. It would be safer for her if they sent her off like they had the new Cybertronians, to other Autobots refugees working on their own city across the world.

As Predaking heard this, however, he demanded, "So you know for certain that this is Starscream? And how he is doing this?"

"Starscream is a malicious spirit," Bumblebee stated. "It is the only explanation, although this phenomenon is unprecedented in Cybertronian history. We are not yet sure how we can stop him because of that."

All Predacons widened their eyes as it became hard fact.

"He is incredibly dangerous," Bumblebee went on. "From all reports, he can touch anything he pleases while being impossible to harm. Here are the reports of his abilities so far: he can destroy and interact with technology, move objects, cause physical harm, infiltrate dreams, cause nausea and weakness when nearby, and be seen and heard. He is also said to feel cold. I am sure you have experienced some of these things as well. Starscream is also credited with causing Megatron's serious leg injuries, tearing out a vehicon's voicebox, Ripclaw's wounds, and nearly Ultra Magnus' death last night."

At these words, the Predacons became petrified with alarm.

Skylynx gasped, "And you do not yet know how to stop him?"

"No."

"What about us?" Darksteel cried. "Who else would he come after? And you are saying, that there is nothing we can do to ward him off?"

Ripclaw cut in, "We should talk to him."

Predaking slowly turned to her. "Have you learned nothing, Ripclaw? Starscream has no kindness in his spark. He is cruel and evil, and cannot be reasoned with."

She glanced away and fell quiet.

"He has no reason to despise you personally," Predaking said. "If you travel far away, he should cease pursuing you to instead focus upon us."

Ripclaw nodded slowly.

"When it is safe, we will find you." Predaking nodded at Ratchet. "I trust the doctor to resolve this."

So they thought that splitting themselves up would force his attention to drift. Starscream rolled his eyes, for no one realized just how fast he could travel. Ripclaw and the vehicon went to the other city and the Predacons left the _Nemesis_ to draw him far away. All they imagined they could do was continue helping out in construction, bearing Starscream's haunting until Ratchet found a solution.

_They think they can handle me?_ Starscream bared his teeth.

The Autobots had also informed Megatron of everything they believed and were going to do. His comment was, "Excellent. Find a way to dispose of him as swiftly as possible."

The words stung him deep, somehow getting through his armour of rage. Starscream did not know why that simple sentence got to him, when he should have been confident enough to simply laugh and hate Megatron. Trying to shake it off, Starscream stalked Ratchet. The Autobot had gone to shuffle through storage, collecting extra energon detectors. Instead of destroying them immediately, Starscream refrained himself when an idea popped into his mind. Now, Ratchet was everyone's priority. If the energon detectors showed everyone he was going for Ratchet, they would all rush off to him.

_Leaving Megatron far away._

Starscream spotted Cliffjumper, who quickly vanished when he was noticed.

_Still hanging around_, he thought.

Ratchet passed the trackers to every bot. Starscream disappeared before they turned them on, for he did not want them to know he knew about them. His attack on Ratchet had to seem legitimate that coming night.

He returned to Predaking in Iacon, following him and carefully watching his movements. Starscream searched for any sign of worry, and was glad when he found one. Predaking's grasp was weak when he carried things, and his swagger had softened. Usually the large Predacons strutted around as though they owned places and needed to remind everyone through movement just how powerful they were. Now, Predaking's walk reminded Starscream of how he had used to nervously follow Megatron: thighs never lifting high, steps shorter and more frequent, and knees pressed inwards.

It was comical for Starscream to see such heavy legs so timid, but he enjoyed that he finally had power over the beast. It had been his mistake to not respect him in life and suffer now from a greater threat.

Predaking was looking for Starscream in the shadows. The only time he had seen Starscream manifest had been in his early attempts, when he had only been able to appear as a shadow figure. His eyes double-checked the slender shadows he saw on the ground, and if a jet vehicon quickly passed by in his peripheral vision, he had to swing back his head. One time during the day, he even jolted when Silverbolt came up to him.

He relaxed when he saw blue eyes and an Autobot insignia. The silver Seeker was clearly not Starscream, bigger and differently shaped. Silverbolt was surprised that he had startled the Predacon, and he tried to suppress his smile.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Predaking stared at him.

"I mean… 'How are you doing?'" Silverbolt tilted his head.

"Fine." He squinted, trying to determine if the Aerialbot knew more and was asking for another reason. "Would I be anything but fine?"

"Ah… alright then. Good to hear."

Silverbolt sped-walked away and muttered to himself, "Predacons…" Predaking had caught the words, but waited a moment before he sighed to himself.

He continued work, a simple job of sticking reflective panels on the outside of a nearly finished building. The vehicons had done the lower levels, and as he was taller, he could reach higher for them. He held a new panel with care to not scratch it, then he once again approached the glassy building.

He stopped when he saw a silver figure behind him in the reflection. In less than a second, Predaking realized that it was not Silverbolt this time. His arm with the panel lowered as he gawked at Starscream, specifically, his mangled form that stood in the corner. His body appeared as ravaged as it had been before Knockout had repaired him; a wing was lacking while the others were shredded and patchy, deep scratches marked his chest, and parts from one shoulder, his thigh, and a forearm were missing. Worst of all, his stomach was peeled open and spilled guts, yet Starscream still stood without seeming to care anymore.

It was the full reminder of what Predaking had done. Now though, Starscream's eyes were not dark, but burned with purple light and pure hatred. Starscream's scarred face did not meet his eyes in the reflection, for he only stared at Predaking's back. The panel dropped from Predaking's grasp and cracked on the ground. Slowly he turned, expecting the figure to disappear the moment he looked away from the reflection...

It did not. The corpse was there beside him, and he screamed.

There was a flash of grey and purple, and claws digging into his face. Starscream was at his level, eyes filling his view so that the hatred was all he knew. Then, he was gone before all attention in the nearby area turned onto Predaking. Vehicons looked down at the tripping Predacon, then they whispered amongst themselves.

"_Starscream, probably._"

"_Sucks to be those Predacons._"

"_Doomed_."

Predaking could not hear them, but he sensed the mood. Everyone thought he was cursed by the vengeful spirit, and they hoped to stay out of Starscream's business. Only Darksteel and Skylynx came down to see him after hearing and understanding his hollering cry.

"What happened?" said Darksteel.

"I saw Starscream," he uttered. "He looked as he had, the night we killed him."

"You mean the body?" Skylynx asked.

"Yes." Predaking dabbed the drops of energon on his face. "I saw him in the reflection. He stared at me wordlessly, optics conveying his intention. He had wanted me to see him this way so that I understood what I had done, and so that I would know that he would not stop following me until my body likened his."


	14. Tortured Souls

The new Cybertronian born that day had been sent off, leaving the Autobots, Knockout, and Megatron alone in the _Nemesis_. Everyone's stress rose as night crept nearer, and those who had trackers stared at them, refusing sleep and waiting for the blip of a dark energon signal. As it always did, the sun sank without concern and pulled light with it, allowing the world to fall cold. Starscream watched the navy blue darken until it was firmly black, then he nodded to himself.

Starscream appeared in the warship and worked quickly, chasing off Cliffjumper before slicing cameras that the Autobots had repaired. Everyone jumped at the sudden signal and saw it moving rapidly toward the front room of the _Nemesis_. Those in that location, Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack, tensed up in apprehension. While Wheeljack aimed his blasters at the door, Ultra Magnus checked the cameras and found those in the area to be blacked out.

"Several cameras are offline, including the one outside our room," Ultra Magnus reported. "The dark energon signal is near us."

Everyone heard through the call the _clank clank_ of a knock at the door. All shaken bots held their positions, staring at the dark energon signal and waiting to see what move it would make. Wheeljack stood like a statue, refusing to open that door and come face-to-face with the spirit. They heard another set of slow knocks, and they did not move. Then, a screeching noise of claws down metal erupted and made them cringe in apprehension. White marks they could not see tore down the door, though they imagined them and knew how very easily they could be scratched in the same way.

The door opened on its own, allowing a glimpse of the cup before the door shut. They jolted upon seeing it, and Starscream chuckled to himself about how foolish they looked, strong warriors who had bested him in life, now terrorized by a mere cup. His signal moved as he came forward, and the trackers beeped as though they themselves were afraid of what had stepped into the room. Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack backed off although they saw nothing in front of them, but they felt the toxicity of the dark energon as it came near.

Starscream relished their worry as they believed they were his target, and moved back without any idea of what to do. Ultra Magnus was unsteady, fearing for himself and that Starscream was back to blood-choke him again, perhaps kill him this time. The dark energon signal then moved so quickly that the trackers needed a moment to recognize its new location.

Starscream zipped through the walls and rooms, and located Ratchet where he had assumed he would be: in the same room he and Shockwave had once worked together on their scientific project. Ratchet had continued on as he heard that Starscream was back, racing against time to finish. He was not ready for him, but no one had been, when they saw that the dark energon signal had suddenly appeared at Ratchet's location.

Every Autobot panicked. It appeared that Ultra Magnus was either a distraction or a cruel joke, and what Starscream really wanted was Ratchet. To an extent, it was true. Starscream attacked the device in Ratchet's hands and anything around him that he might have been using. Cold rushed at his hands, then both the remote and Ratchet's fingers were sliced with savage speed. The project had looked nearly complete, and now Ratchet shouted in horror as all was destroyed before his eyes. Invisible claws sliced metal and wires, and everything crumpled and sparked around him.

Autobots abandoned their posts and sprinted to Ratchet's location. Starscream had known that they would, and as they did, he made a show of tormenting Ratchet. He scratched and punched the doctor, kicked and cut his technology even more, then busted the light of the room. Ratchet shouted and tripped in the darkness, but Starscream believed he was crying out more in horror about the fact that his project had been destroyed than from pain or fear. After all his hard work, he could not save anyone from Starscream tonight.

Once the Autobots arrived en masse to help Ratchet, Starscream dashed among them and damaged the insides of their trackers. No one realized at first in their horror, for Starscream had sabotaged the door so that Ratchet was trapped inside. Now, they were occupied and prying open the door, fighting to get in to rescue Ratchet. Starscream knew even after they had gotten in, they would be distracted and distraught for a while over the broken technology. Without the beeping trackers, they would not realize where Starscream had gone until it was too late.

Starscream flashed down the hall, closing all doors he could and damaging the wiring to lock them. A line of obstacles now stood between them and the med bay, what had been his true target all along. The only one who remained with Megatron now was Knockout, who had been focused on his tracker. The dark energon signal had been travelling back toward the front of the _Nemesis_ as Starscream tampered with the doors. Then, it moved so sharply that he did not have time to see its new direction.

Starscream's fist came flying at Knockout's head at such a speed that he was struck unconscious at once. Before the doctor had even fallen to the floor, bonds of energy snapped around Megatron's limbs so that he could not escape. All happened so fast that Megatron looked startled when he tried to rise but could not, then realization drew upon him moments later.

Already, Starscream realized in horror that he was exhausted. There in front of him finally lay Megatron, helpless before him with no one else around, but everything he had just done had drained him.

_Rely on the dark energon to give you strength._

His need to complete his plan was so powerful that Starscream obeyed. The dark energon slipped out of him, brightening and snapping around his spark. Starscream's grey metal adopted an amethyst colour while the black and blue parts of him darkened to night-black. He looked less like himself, although he maintained his form. To others, Starscream now likened some demonic creature more than a Cybertronian, with eyes aglow with Unicron's power and a dark mist surrounding him.

He did not care for the change in appearance, so long as he could be recognized. The coat that tightened around him aided his movements, and now Starscream knew that he would be able to continue. Exhaling in relief, he broke the final door, then turned to Megatron with cruel delight creeping over his expression.

He had done it. It was going to happen.

Megatron growled and grunted, pulling against the bonds. When Starscream began to manifest, he halted and glared at his developing form.

"Starscream," he hissed.

"It is time for you to pay," Starscream uttered. "You are mine, Megatron."

His voice was so eerie and certain that Megatron felt himself lose his arrogance. _Was_ this actually Starscream? He looked so different, but it was more than just his appearance that made Megatron question the being in front of him. No matter how Starscream had defied him in life, he had always had a weakness about him that was laughable. But this was the voice of someone who knew that they were more powerful and had complete control. Starscream smiled slowly, and the softness alarmed Megatron's spark.

Starscream saw through him, and his eyes gleamed. "Yes, Megatron. Now I am you, and you have become me. You know now how it feels."

He came closer and watched Megatron's irises tighten.

"No one is coming for you. We are alone now, and I am going to torture you as I please. Scream, but no one will hear you. Beg, and I might release you."

Starscream grinned and did not waste further time. His hands sank down into Megatron's legs, his frigid fingers tearing tubes on the inside. At once, Megatron boomed and yanked, and Starscream flickered his eyes up to watch his expression. Megatron could feel the heat of internal bleeding, and he realized that Starscream could destroy anything within him without needing to open him up.

"Ah," Starscream sighed.

He pierced Megatron's knees with his claws, turning them to drill in deeper. Energon oozed out as Megatron gasped many times, trying to silence himself from screaming. To the end, he wanted to stay strong and deny Starscream the pleasure he wanted, but Megatron was mortal as any bot. The pain was deep, slow, and real, and his body reacted on its own.

Starscream raked up his fingers, skipped them up and over to tear Megatron's abdomen and chest. Wonderful lines filled up with shallow rivers of energon, and Starscream smirked as Megatron shuddered. He waltzed along Megatron's side and shot a hand into his upper arm, clenching his fingers into a fist and tearing the parts inside. Megatron yelled and pushed against the binds with all the strength he could muster. Legs and one arm useless, however, only one arm succeeded in busting through and destroying an energon bond. His thick arm reached out for him, fingers snapping to grab and throw. Megatron could not even turn fully and reach him, but his attempt to fight caused Starscream to let out a laugh.

"You could not stop me even if you wanted to. You could not run either, even if I released you."

Starscream pressed his fingers together, then thrust his hand like a knife into Megatron's palm, impaling it partially. Instantly, Megatron yanked back and shouted, glancing at the blood that trickled out from the hole. As he looked at it, Starscream stabbed him in the shoulder, forcing a new scream from him.

"Do not resist me anymore, Megatron."

"You will pay for this," Megatron groaned. "We will end you, Starscream."

"End _me_?" he shrieked. "I will tear apart your very spark!"

_Kill him!_ the voice urged.

_No, he must suffer more._

Starscream avoided striking important areas that would have killed him, instead cutting his metal and attacking his limbs. He scratched and pulled peeling metal, cackling as Megatron trembled and hollered. Streams of his blood pooled over the vibrating berth, spilling over the floor. Knockout rose and wobbled; Starscream rushed him and smacked him to bring him back down. Whirling back on Megatron, Starscream ran up and swiped his fingers across his face.

"Beg, Megatron!" he shouted.

He climbed onto his chest and wrapped his fingers around his throat, pressing his icy fingers directly into his neck.

"Plead for my mercy!"

He gasped at the cold, but grimaced. His body twitched as he tried to refuse.

Starscream yanked out a hand and slashed Megatron's eye. His head rolled back at once and he yelled, then he looked back into Starscream's eyes with one of his closed and bleeding.

Starscream kept his fingers in his throat, letting the energon freeze slowly. As he did, he hissed, "There will be nowhere for you to go when you die. You will never be reborn, never live a free life of happiness. This is the only life you will ever have. You were a pathetic slave who served others. I hope you suffered greatly in that colossal waste of time. Know how meaningless all that was! Your only moment of glory was when you survived the pits of Kaon. For such a brief time, you thought you had something when you led the Decepticons and oppressed others."

Megatron twisted his neck in vain, and his other eye shut.

"What was it that you said? That you understood oppression and no longer wanted to inflict it?"

Megatron suffered and twitched in silence.

"You have not changed, Megatron. You never even realized how you abused me. I will end your miserable spark, and then, you won't even know how no one misses you."

"St-op," he grunted.

Starscream pulled back his hands.

"What was that?" he snickered.

Megatron opened an eye, which glimmered with pain. Starscream wondered if it was emotional, if his words had gotten to the former warlord. He grinned.

"You will have to be louder than that," Starscream chuckled and ran his fingers down the lines of Megatron's face. As the sensitive metal ripped, Megatron writhed and tossed his head.

Starscream bunched up with impatience. He cried, "_What_ did you say to me?"

He slapped Megatron as hard as he liked, because he could not have hurt his hand in this form. When his surprised head snapped to the side, Starscream quickly tittered at what he had done. The slap that came from the other side, however, was full of claws. Megatron cried out when his cheek was pierced deeply. By now, his head was a torn and bloody mess, but Starscream punched and slapped it to agonize those injuries even further.

Megatron growled, body tense and shivering in pain.

"Stop…"

"What?" Starscream chuckled.

As Starscream sliced around his neck, Megatron boomed, "Enough!"

"Enough?" Starscream glared. "That sounds like a command, Megatron."

He pressed his fingers back into his neck, until Megatron gasped out, "Stop, release me…"

Starscream paused and grinned over him. His legs were painfully cold over his chest, and even Megatron's spark chamber felt it.

"Does it hurt too much, Megatron?" he whispered. "You wish for me to stop now?"

His eyes were so eerie that Megatron answered immediately.

"Yes, Starscream," he breathed. "Please."

"Why should I?" Starscream murmured. "Although you beg for me to stop, when did… _you_ ever stop for me?"

A wicked, excited smile faced Megatron, who felt dread in his chest before the torture recommenced. Starscream slashed his chest, wanting to mark every clean patch of silver until he was nothing but cuts and blood. As Megatron buckled and screamed his deep hollers, Knockout tottered back onto his feet. His eyes rounded as he saw Megatron's ravaged and energon-drenched body, with Starscream over him, deranged, tearing, and cackling.

"Starscream," he choked. "St- stop!"

Starscream hopped off and approached him. Knockout yelped and stumbled, hands raised defensively.

"What is wrong with you?" he gasped, eyes rolling over his darkened form. "No!"

Starscream backhanded him, and though Knockout fell, he was not unconscious. Knockout groaned and moved to get up, but by then, Starscream pounced on Knockout and reflexively wrapped his hands around his throat.

"Stop torturing _him_?" Starscream roared and drove in the cold into his tubes. "You do not think he should suffer for _anything_? How dare you defend him!"

There was an approaching sound of gunfire and running.

"And what do you mean, 'what is wrong with me?'" Starscream watched Knockout roll under him, trying to escape his painful grasp. "Do you think this is wrong? That I should _not_ have my revenge, but instead let Megatron live without ever understanding what he did to me?"

Knockout's head fell back and his eyes shut in agony.

"So then, you wanted me to suffer and just leave without any sort of solace. And here I thought, you were on _my_ side!"

"Starscream!" Cliffjumper hollered after phasing through the wall. "What are you doing?"

He leered at Cliffjumper and got off Knockout.

"And there he is," Starscream said. "You missed most of the show, while you cowered and hid from me."

Knockout and Megatron stared as Starscream addressed an empty spot near the door. Then, he flashed back to Megatron's side. He heard the shouts very close and the thunder as the larger bots among the Autobots pounded the final door.

"Well," Starscream murmured. "They took their time, didn't they?"

He dragged a final finger down Megatron's body, then waited beside him for the Autobots to see. Bulkhead was the first to plow through with arms formed into wrecking balls, but everyone peeked around him to see finally all see Starscream together. He stood beside Megatron, letting their eyes soak up his image and widen in horror. As corrupted as he was, it was undeniably him.

Starscream wondered if he should speak, then found that a smile was enough to chill them. He vanished and became intangible once again, pretending to have departed. But he remained at the door to eagerly watch the Autobots unfreeze. They crowded around Megatron, Bumblebee releasing the bonds while Ratchet elbowed past everyone. The doctor stared at the countless cuts, the stab wounds, and Megatron's closed, leaking eye, but was not even aware of the internal damage until he was informed.

Megatron rumbled, "He cut me within my legs and arms. I am leaking internally."

Ratchet inhaled and began to push everyone back, realizing the severity of Megatron's wounds and knowing that if the bleeding was not stopped soon, he could perish. Smokescreen had noticed Knockout and helped him up onto his feet, but as this happened, Cliffjumper remained and stared at Starscream with not fear, but with another kind of horror over what he had become.

"You actually did it," Cliffjumper murmured.

Starscream glanced at him. "And I have never enjoyed anything more than what I just did. There is no greater pleasure than revenge, to finally succeed and make others understand how one has suffered."

"I thought you wanted to spare Knockout! Don't you remember how kind he was to you? How could you have hurt the one who spent so much time taking care of your body?"

"He was in my way."

"How?" Cliffjumper cried. "He could not have done anything to stop you!"

"He would have called the others and informed them I was there!"

"And? No one could have stopped you anyway!"

Starscream glared. "I needed to have Megatron all to myself."

"You are insane," he whispered. "The dark energon has destroyed you."

"It gave me the strength to do this. Without it, I could not have my revenge."

Cliffjumper shook his head. "You were broken before, but now, you have turned into a true monster. You let it control your spark, and you don't even realize it. You are nothing but hate, incapable now of any sort of love. You want to hurt everyone now, and I don't even know if you can be healed anymore. You are doomed, 'Scream…"

Starscream's expression had only hardened in irritation. He uttered, "I will never allow them to capture me. I will just sabotage them, over and over again."

"You are right; they may never catch you. But at some point, the dark energon will consume your spark and you will fade away into nothing."

"What?"

"You are paler, 'Scream. Each time I see you, the more you use the dark energon, the faster it destroys you."

Starscream raised his arm and checked it, peering hard at himself. Because of the new darkness in his colour, he seemed solid to himself.

"You are lying," he growled.

"No, I'm not," he murmured, with eyes displaying regret. "You can't tell because it is happening slowly to you. But each time I see you, I can tell."

_He is lying_, the voice murmured. _To frighten you and distract you._

"That is not true," Starscream hissed. "I am bound to Unicron. Because he and I share the same goal, a desire to eradicate sparks, he refrains from harming me."

Cliffjumper gasped, "What? You, you _hear_ him?"

"A part of him, within the dark energon," Starscream smirked. "He speaks to me."

"Oh Primus, no wonder you have gone so far…" Cliffjumper breathed. "He is using you."

"No one is using me!" Starscream snapped. "I am my own master!"

Certain words were sure to trigger Starscream's memories. It mirrored Cliffjumper's death scene so closely that he cursed himself for his carelessness. He had made Starscream react in the same way, even with the same words, but this time, Starscream's face did not remain calm. It twisted now and revealed all the rage of his spark. Fortunately for Cliffjumper, he was neither weak or guarded, and could flee Starscream's wrath.

Before Starscream crossed the room, Cliffjumper disappeared and saved himself.

"Run, just like you always do!" Starscream snarled. "There will be a day, where I catch you!"

_Yes, end the irritating Autobot once and for all. You should not have even bothered to listen to him again. You continue to make this mistake._

While watching Megatron be repaired, Starscream decided that he would just rush and kill Cliffjumper on sight. The voice instantly critiqued him.

_You have thought this before, and you still did not commit! You fail time and time again to kill the simplest of targets: the already extinguished sparks. Recall how your foolishness cost you the Predacon's spark. You had it terminated, yet you were never able to destroy it permanently. I expect you will fail if you ever manage to terminate Megatron. He will slip from you and return to the Allspark, and then you will never find him again._

Starscream clenched up, eyes narrowing in worry. Was he really that bad? Everything the voice had said was true, wasn't it? He kept losing sparks, never having had succeeded in destroying a single one since he had discovered his dark energon powers. So far he had been rather proud of himself and all his complicated schemes, including his beguiling of Ripclaw. But now, the words of Unicron crushed him and made him feel exactly what everyone had told him he was: a failure.

He could not even argue now. But Starscream felt the desperate need to prove him wrong, even himself wrong, because he felt that at this point it was true. He thought that he should kill at least one of these bots right here and now to prove that he was capable, but he felt the weakness in his body even with the boost of the dark energon. After the rush, it was hard to summon up the energy to harden parts of himself and break into the realm of the living.

_Rest now_, the voice commanded. _You are too weak for another attack tonight._

Starscream had known he was weak, but it hurt to have been called so. Not long ago, Starscream had believed himself to be the most powerful being in the universe. Now, he crumpled under Unicron's words as he faced his limitations.

He obeyed, but still wanted to have more done this night. If he could not physically harm, then he could at least produce nightmares. That never sapped him of his strength. As he planned this, however, he could feel disapproval weighing down on him. To Unicron, frightening others was still not good enough. It had mattered so dearly to Starscream before and it had given him great satisfaction, yet the joy of it leaked from him as he tried to find something that would please Unicron.

He had nothing.

Starscream reluctantly chose to look for Shockwave anyway, only to find him gone. The empty lab shocked him, and the fresh disappointment from Unicron hit Starscream as hard as a blow from Megatron ever did. He cowered as the whisper seemed to boom within him, _You allowed him to escape!_

"I-I did not intend to," Starscream choked.

_You wasted your time stalking the Predacons, when you should have kept watch over all your enemies! Now, thanks to your carelessness, you will never be able to locate Shockwave again!_

It was true; this was Starscream's fault. He had focused far too much on the Predacons that he had forgot to consider Shockwave. Of course he would have run off, expecting that Starscream had left him. In Starscream's desire to confine his hauntings to the night, to steal a period of their lives and make it his own, he had let Shockwave know that the day was an opportunity to flee.

_Your choices are frivolous. _

They were.

_Cease this foolery and strike down your enemies. Starting tomorrow, destroy them. One per day, while never letting anyone out of your sight._

Starscream nodded miserably.

He left to confirm that the Predacons were resting in the same spot they always did. Still wishing to help Ratchet in any way they could, they allowed themselves to rest, not fighting the exhaustion so that they lay like targets under the sky. Starscream stood and stared, a desire remaining to enter Predaking's dreams to horrify him in some way. He wondered why it was so wrong, if he had nothing else to do this night. Unicron's annoyance pressed down on him, yet Starscream felt that he was right in this matter.

He stepped up to Predaking, and when nothing stopped him, he tentatively reached into him to connect to the light of his spark. Starscream had to spontaneously come up with something to do, and at first could not think of anything else than that he should reverse their roles.

_He forced Predaking to once again be him, but since the memories of his death were so excruciating that it risked waking him, Predaking was Starscream in another context. He was alone in the open, which for the small Seeker Predaking had become, should have been a comfort. There was a lot of room to fly off if something came for him. _

_However, buildings began to rise around him, the tighter streets of an older, undamaged Iacon. Feeling the evil around him, Predaking knew something was coming, and panicked as the buildings rose and hid things from sight, giving his enemy places to creep around him. At once, he tried to transform, tried to imagine how it felt to blast off and fly with locked wings. As it is in the nightmares of many, Predaking's doubt prevented him from escaping. He willed himself to get off the ground, but he was weighted down and his body refused to change form. _

_In the typical duality of corrupted dreams from Starscream, Predaking could see more than his viewpoint- Starscream's as well. He was thus aware that something tall was stalking the streets, so he looked all around himself, uncertain of where the threat would emerge. In the dream, he did not remember he was a Predacon in real life, and felt as small as Starscream wanted him to feel. As Predaking kept spinning around, he felt the predatory amusement of his stalker who knew that he was afraid. _

_The next time he turned, Predaking saw a black muzzle peek around a corner with long rows of teeth running down its jaws. He froze in place, spark screaming to run, but his doubt that he could once again restricted him. The head of a black Predacon rounded the corner and gazed at him with cruel, purple eyes. Nothing else of it was coloured but those eyes; the rest was silky darkness, for the body was made of living shadow. Long limbs ended in lethal, curved claws, which clenched as the Predacon growled and thrust its head forward._

_In belief for the moment that he was a biped, Predaking realized how beastly the sound of a growl was: cruel, carnivorous, and primal. He stepped back in fright from the maker of the sound, just as the creature pressed down to pounce. When it launched, he yelped and ran, hearing claws scrape the ground behind him where he had just been. The beast watched him flee, jaws parted in a grin as it waited a few seconds before pursuing. _

_Predaking's legs moved in slow motion, bouncing him in heavy arcs across the street. He glanced back, saw the beast standing still, before it charged him at incredible speed. Its lanky back legs hurled its body forward, eating up the distance between them in no time. Predaking dragged his body through its heaviness around a corner, in the hopes that somehow he could lose the shadow Predacon in the maze. When he glanced back, it was not there, but when he looked again, it was galloping for him at full speed. _

_There was no losing the dark creature, although Predaking hoped over and over that he had. Starscream decided at last to catch the stressed Seeker, slamming him under a foot and curling his black claws around his torso. Predaking wriggled in his hands, his spark in reality thundering in fear. In comparison, the beast was so massive and he felt like pitiful prey, squirming and staring straight at the mouth of many teeth. _

_Starscream rolled him onto his back. Predaking crawled forward, but Starscream swiftly grabbed his legs and dragged him back to him. Once Predaking was pinned again, the Predacon bent over him, snarling by his head to make him jerk. Then, the teeth crunched into his shoulder, and pain from Starscream's memory shot into Predaking. _

_He screamed _then woke with a screech carrying out from his throat. His energon was circulating, hot and fast, but now he found that _he_ was the beast, with long, curled claws and too many teeth. Predaking transformed and calmed in the seconds of silence where he saw no sign of Starscream. Skylynx and Darksteel found it suiting that they transform as well, and they walked up to him in worry and curiosity to hear of what had happened.

Predaking did not talk, but did not look afraid either. That confused them and made them think that it had not been Starscream after all. All that was visible on Predaking's face seemed to be guilt, but they were not certain of it, for Predaking had said many times before that he did not regret anything he had done.

_Again_, the voice told Starscream. _Your buffoonery accomplishes nothing._

Starscream sighed. It had felt satisfying to him at the time, but now, the whisper made him feel like a young Cybertronian who thought he was clever but was clearly a fool to every mature bot in the vicinity. As though he was not worth being taken seriously by his victims, and Unicron thought it was pathetic that the others were so frightened by Starscream.

* * *

Starscream checked on Megatron's condition in the morning, and everyone knew he had arrived when their new trackers went off. He flicked his wings in annoyance as bots swarmed toward the room, and he was too tired to want to attack their devices. He let them gawk at the empty spot where he stood, until Megatron grew aware and stared with them, albeit with a greater degree of dread.

That was satisfying; at least he had made Megatron afraid of his presence. But Megatron seemed to know that Starscream was not going to torture him again this soon, especially with so many bots around them. He sank, but Knockout shivered without pause.

Ratchet was at it again elsewhere, but Starscream had needed to zip through the _Nemesis_ to find his new room. When Starscream took a quick peek, he determined that Ratchet was far from completing a way of trapping him. His eyes were hard in concentration, but there was a shakiness about him that hinted he was stressed, burdened as the one who would save or fail everyone. He had Wheeljack assisting him, trying to weld back the pieces Starscream had destroyed. They froze when the trackers beeped a few times, then they ceased when Starscream had left.

He tried to do as the voice had directed him, checking on his scattered targets and assuring that they did not go anywhere. Because of this, Starscream caught Ratchet and Wheeljack later in the act of packing up everything. While he was gone, they decided to try to bridge out Ratchet and the materials so that he could complete the project in peace.

Once he had spotted this, Starscream knew he had to stay so that Ratchet would not escape. Trackers went wild and bots entered the room, vexing Starscream to the point that he snapped and tore up their trackers once again. He raced to the storeroom and destroyed all those that remained there, beating Bumblebee and Arcee to them. Starscream even made sure no one in the med bay could track him, to report that he was still there.

"He is watching," Ratchet rumbled.

When Starscream was in a state of anger, the dark energon was more palpable.

"Oh yeah, he's here," Wheeljack uttered. "You can feel it, like a hunk of dark energon in the room. Makes you wanna puke."

Ratchet paused over everything, as though hesitant to move and test Starscream.

"What do we do?" Bulkhead whispered.

The last spot the trackers had said he had been was in the right corner by the door. Starscream still stood there, letting their eyes blindly bore into him.

No one had an answer for Bulkhead's question. They just kept watching and waiting until it became unbearable. Nauseous, stressed, Bulkhead ended up calling out, "Uh, 'Scream?"

He flinched, afraid of a reply. There was silence and the sense of malice in that corner.

"You're, er… there, aren't you?" he continued.

"_Maaybe_ not try it," Smokescreen whined. "You don't want to make him mad. You saw what he did to Megatron..."

Bulkhead looked to Ultra Magnus, but the commander was too stunned and traumatized from the other night, so he could not agree or disagree. On this thin ice, no one was certain if they were helping or endangering themselves by addressing Starscream. Smokescreen was so haunted by what he had seen happen to Megatron that he quaked, not feeling much better even when Bulkhead put an arm around him.

It was Bulkhead's gesture of comfort that ignited Starscream. Even as they faced a threat they had no current means to fight, even as they were broken in fear, they still cared for each other. Bulkhead could not have protected Smokescreen, but the fact that he wanted to made Starscream burst with jealousy. Arcee and Bumblebee returned, unfortunate witnesses as Smokescreen cried and tripped backwards. Hands had shoved him away from Bulkhead, before scratch marks tore across Smokescreen's chest.

It had just been a quick action, but then the voice encouraged him, _Kill Smokescreen. He is not so important to you, so he can be the first. _

It was an appealing idea to kill Smokescreen in front of the others and force them to watch. Starscream felt utterly exhausted, but he felt compelled to do this for himself and for his honour. He sank his hands into Smokescreen's chest, intending to harden the tips of his fingers and poke into his vitals. The moment he had been scratched, however, Smokescreen attempted to use the Phase Shifter. He had no idea if it would have worked, but the moment he turned intangible, something strange happened.

Smokescreen could be seen by the others but not felt by them. The Phase Shifter was one of some rare, ancient technologies that modern bots did not understand but used in appreciation of its benefits. Unbeknownst to Smokescreen, his body had been dipping into the close realm of the dead each time, and he had been able to control what he could touch much like Starscream could. Now, Starscream was struck with shock, for he could _feel_ Smokescreen, when he had been unable to feel anything from the living world since death.

A pleasant warmth crawled up Starscream's arms. Smokescreen was not solid and metallic anymore, but light and gentle almost like another spark. It froze Starscream and threw him into the memory of Cliffjumper and the times he had touched him in this realm. Cliffjumper had felt like this, like the sunlight of his past, the warmth on his hand as Starscream blocked the sun's glare from his eyes in peaceful times.

And Smokescreen felt him, the cold of empty corners of space, of barren planets and burnt-out stars. Starscream had left his hand inside to feel him, but Smokescreen yanked back and gasped. It felt as though he had dragged a cold pole from his spark, but before relief could settle Smokescreen, the cold came back. Starscream grasped him, gripping to remember what it had been like to feel the physical world. There was some sort of shape to Smokescreen that even Cliffjumper did not have, because Smokescreen was not fluid and could not change himself as they could. He was different, and so painfully close to feeling like a regular bot.

Smokescreen powered off the Phase Shifter and felt the cold vanish at once. The sickening effect of dark energon gripped him, then seconds later, he felt specks of cold as Starscream's fingers clutched his armour. Starscream tried to feel him again in this realm of existence, but he could not.

Everyone attempted to support Smokescreen as he cried out and flailed, but then something slapped his Phase Shifter, and the bot slipped through their grasps. The voice was calling to him, but Starscream ran his hands over Smokescreen's arms and tried to make out the different textures. Points, curves, all the things he had missed… Starscream thought of his own arms, which he had once been able to grasp.

He felt he had taken them for granted now, and he missed the feel of crossed arms, of running his hands up and down his upper arms in boredom or self-comfort. Now, where had they gone? His poor body, ripped until it felt nothing anymore, then, melted away so that nothing remained.

Smokescreen panicked and turned off the Phase Shifter, then threw it away. Trembling and heaving, he latched onto Bumblebee and tried to shake away the feel of the hands, grasping and reaching like a zombie's.

"What did he do?" Arcee demanded.

Frightened and ignorant, Smokescreen did not know what to say. With the Phase Shifter being used against him, Smokescreen had felt as though he had been being dragged into the pits of the dead. It was a scarring and hushing experience, not easy for him to describe.

Everyone felt Starscream lingering, but they tended to Smokescreen. Ratchet looked him over, but sighed, "I believe he is alright."

"I'm... I'm fine now," Smokescreen breathed. "But I don't know what…"

_Why did you not kill him?_ Starscream heard Unicron when he began to tune in to others again. _You had the opportunity, but you did not strike! You succumbed to weak emotions, allowed yourself to become distracted yet again!_

Starscream shook himself to try to focus.

_Terminate him, now!_

But he had been so warm, even if he had pushed him away. It let Starscream remember Smokescreen's murmured words to Knockout just after Starscream had perished, when he had thanked Knockout for repairing him.

"_You're doing a good thing, doc_," he had said, and he had hoped every piece of Starscream had been returned, after he had confronted the vehicon thief. Smokescreen had been so horrified the first time he had seen Starscream's body, he had even needed to leave the room while others simply grew desensitized to it. And who else had spoken on his behalf, claiming that the Autobots should punish the Predacons somehow? He had felt guilty, and he-

_Have you forgotten that his death is on your hands?_ _He pointed the Predacons in your direction that night._

Starscream thought, _But they might have found me regardless. They were the ones who intended to kill me, so if not that night, then perhaps… I might have perished on another._

_You speak of possibilities, but you forget that there is a chance you could have lived had he not pointed._

Starscream replied, "How can I continue to blame him, when it was the Predacons who pursued me? They were not commanded by him… Had he pointed, had they had no intent to do harm… then nothing would have happened…"

_A combination of factors must be blamed for your fate._

"No," Starscream muttered, flickering his eyes away from Smokescreen. "I will not kill him. Someone else."

_Consider how your true enemies would feel, however, if you killed him before them._

He grew frustrated and found the courage to snap back, "Who is in charge here? This is _my_ revenge, and there is little for me to gain in terminating this Autobot! In life, he was little more than an annoyance. He never caused me the grief the others caused me, doing less than even Knockout!"

_You are the one in charge, Starscream. Are you doubting that you are?_

"It seems that you are attempting to command me."

_How can I command you, when I do not have the means to harm you? I am nothing but a sliver of myself, a taint of dark energon, and a voice within you. Your spark demands our bond of evil, holding this sliver, so you see… you _are _the master in this relationship. _

Starscream felt better than he had earlier and stood straighter now. He had been given this, a belief in control so that he would be more likely to kill others. It was much too hard to compel Starscream to terminate those he was unsure about, so it was best for Unicron to take what he could.

As both Unicron and Cliffjumper knew, time was running out for Starscream.


	15. Darkest Hour Anew

Things were not looking good for the Autobots, who could not proceed to create any traps so long as Starscream watched and sabotaged each effort. On the other side, Starscream was frustrated because he simply could not leave, in case the Autobots teleported Ratchet elsewhere. It was likely that Ratchet knew how to trap him, if not destroy him, so now his haunt could only be the _Nemesis_.

It concerned the Predacons when Starscream had not bothered them for more than two days. But Starscream made sure that the lives of those within the warship were unbearable. Nightmares wrecked those who tried to rest, full of shadowy monsters that would tear them apart. Then, they woke in their terror only to spot darkness sliding across the wall. Figures were everywhere, even in the daytime in the darkest corners. If shadows existed, they could not be trusted. No one turned to look, because there could be a pair of purple eyes which would charge at them if they stared.

It was learned quickly after Bulkhead and Wheeljack had been scratched, that Starscream attacked if he was given attention. The best to do was turn one's head and walk on a-shiver, for then Starscream leered, satisfied to be feared.

Unicron tried to urge him to kill someone, but Starscream refused in his confidence that Unicron could not harm him. After all, the whisper had said so itself. Without believing in any consequence in taking his revenge slow, Starscream ignored the blanket of irritation that surrounded him. He felt rather content, since for him, things seemed to be settling in place. He felt in control again, master of himself and without need to please anyone.

The voice even began to quiet down, ceasing to protest against his actions as Starscream carried on tormenting everyone. He scratched doors just to make bots squirm, he touched Megatron's welded cuts with cold hands, and he let his footsteps be heard following bots down the halls. Then, he used the cup once again as an omen of danger. The bots trapped on the _Nemesis_ had learned that trouble came to whomever received that item, some kind of unpreventable injury.

Bumblebee froze when the cup ended up on his berth. He spun all around himself while Arcee perked up, ready to defend him although she could not. Starscream relished slicing a square onto his throat, tracing above his precious voicebox. It was personal and horrifying- the idea that Starscream _could_ destroy it as he pleased was traumatizing to Bumblebee.

Cliffjumper had seen this and cried, "You know what he has been through, yet you taunt him! You are evil!"

_That is the point_, he thought in reply. _I want him to suffer at a deeper level, yet it is not evil. It is justice. _

Starscream never answered Cliffjumper anymore. Each time, he charged to kill him. Still, there was an ability Cliffjumper had that Starscream had not yet figured out: the one of teleportation that flashed Cliffjumper away and out of grasp.

Starscream recalled exactly what Bumblebee had said to the Predacons after his death. With such indignation inside him, Starscream dreamed of silencing Bumblebee so that his words would never again wound him. It would be so satisfying to see that Autobot grieve over his loss of voice again, until Starscream killed him.

"Evil?" Starscream scoffed.

Starscream did not feel like the villain, but often, villains felt like the heroes in their own stories. _He_ was the wounded one that had been abandoned by the others. There was no way conceivable for him to think that they were morally right. They could not destroy him because he had suffered so much. _They_ were the cruel ones, and Cliffjumper's words riled him.

Starscream thought he deserved comfort, which he got only one way: by harming the others. Cliffjumper speaking against his revenge felt to him, as though Cliffjumper thought Starscream did not deserve comfort. This was the reason Starscream overreacted any time someone tried to stop him, or gave comfort to someone else. And no one had figured it out yet. Terrifying noises came closer, and some Autobot would stand in front to protect another. In those moments, Starscream attacked the comforted one. Claws raked so that blood flew, and he yelled out in his own world. Still, they kept trying to protect each other to the bitter end.

In vain, Bulkhead had crushed Starscream's cup when it came to Wheeljack. He hurled it down the hall, only to return and find his body slashed by his own sword. Then, as Bulkhead scooped up Wheeljack, the injured bot was scratched several times in Bulkhead's arms. Nevertheless, Bulkhead would just not let go. He tried to run, but there was no escape. Too afraid to leave Wheeljack to Starscream, he ran without knowing how he aggravated Starscream by sparking jealousy within him.

Nothing would make Bulkhead stop trying to protect Wheeljack. Starscream eased off and hid the broken cup, then found another one from storage. It was identical, and he even marked it a bit so that it looked to be the same one.

Cliffjumper screamed at him time and time again. He darted around him when Starscream destroyed Ratchet's projects, helpless to stop him. Since he had lost hope for Starscream, there was nothing else that he cried besides insults and pleas.

Starscream had placed the cup at the open, smashed door of the med bay. Knockout had not been left alone and always had at least one other Autobot with him. Both Knockout and Arcee heard the sliding then saw the cup pushed into sight. There was no knowing whom the cup was for, but they assumed it was for Megatron and they tried to stand by him. Although he wanted to bolt, Knockout remained and clutched the Immobilizer as though he had faith in it.

The spirit stood at the door and quivered while his face revealed pain.

"What? You would protect _him_?"

If Starscream had lain there and Megatron's ghost had come for him, he doubted they would have wanted to protect him. Megatron, they could pity- a former slave, once a friend to Optimus, and someone who had lost his way. What was Starscream to them, but as Cliffjumper had put it? Evil, and cruel for no reason.

Starscream reopened Megatron's cuts, gashing rivers over his chest and marring his face once again. The huge bot surged up, but he tumbled over the side when his legs failed to obey him. When he flattened Arcee, Starscream cackled then bent over and wheezed. It was an awkward and stressed show where Knockout tried to tug Megatron off Arcee, and Megatron crawled forward and dragged his blood all over the trapped two-wheeler.

No one heard Starscream's laughter. As always, they feared that he was going to continue his assault, for no one could ever predict when he would stop.

* * *

The Autobots had the Aerialbots manage the outside duties: organizing the vehicons, relocating newly forged Cybertronians, and welcoming the Decepticon refugees who flew in and claimed to be neutral. However, the Aerialbots did not like being pushed off so much without explanation.

Silverbolt flew to the _Nemesis_ on behalf of the Autobot Seekers to find out why they were so secretive. The Autobots wringing their wrists nervously in the front saw him coming and swore. Nothing said through the convinced Silverbolt to turn back.

He entered the _Nemesis_ and complained, "What are you all doing in here? Why are you not including any of us in your business? Are we not all Autobots?"

"The matter has to do with Megatron and the assassin," he rumbled. "We will resolve this issue. However, we need the Aerialbots to cover for us while we do so."

Silverbolt asked, "The invisible assassin that looked like Starscream? The one that terrorized the vehicons into calling him a ghost? Why don't you have this under control yet?"

"The problem is beyond your understanding."

Silverbolt frowned. "Well, I am no fool. If you explained it, I am sure that it would fit right into my understanding."

Ultra Magnus stated, "This is not your business. Furthermore, I do not appreciate your attitude."

Silverbolt sighed in embarrassment. As a veteran Autobot, he should have controlled himself around the commander. "Sorry, Sir. It is just difficult being out of the loop while being one of the few Autobots around."

"I will accept your apology, on the condition that you stick to your orders and continue to aid us. It is the best you can do as an Autobot at this time."

Every Autobot was relieved when Silverbolt left, until they remembered that they were still in mortal danger.

Later, they tried again to teleport Ratchet elsewhere. However, Starscream followed him through the portal. The moment he set foot in another location, Starscream's claws were in his throat, invisible and cold, to freeze the blood in his tubes. Ratchet had to be dragged back into the _Nemesis_, and only then would Starscream stop.

At a isolated time, Smokescreen moaned. "Why doesn't he just kill us already?"

"Shht," said Ratchet. He was shifting once again through all data on sparks, looking for any information that could point out a weakness in Starscream. But as last time, there was just so little information about extinguished sparks. All one could get were mentions of Onyx Prime and his mask, Mournsong, which allowed him to see the journey of a spark across the hidden regions of death. All useless information, nothing that talked about destroying or warding off extinguished sparks. Everywhere Ratchet looked, it was said that dead sparks were too weak to interact with the world and that they fell into another dimension.

He rubbed the sides of his head. Still, nothing. No ghosts- but some mentions of deceased Primes visiting others in dreams. It was thought that their sparks connected to living sparks so that the visions could be seen. But Ratchet hesitated here. _Starscream_ had been interacting with dreams, but there was no way that he had power equal to the Primes... He kept reading, about how sparks close to death felt the draw to the Allspark and could point the way to Cybertron even light years away.

Nothing helped.

Starscream floated behind him and set his hands over his shoulders. He whispered so only Ratchet could hear, "Have you found what you are looking for?"

He grinned, knowing that Ratchet had not. The desolate expression had not left Ratchet's face.

The Autobot squeezed his eyes tight for a moment to steady himself. No one wanted to give Starscream satisfaction by being afraid of him, but there were many occasions where they could not help it. This was a time where Ratchet's courage remained steadfast. He chose to ignore Starscream and read on, as much as he could before Starscream might stop him.

* * *

Everyone's energy was drained from the restless nights and the hopelessness. They were startled when the night following Silverbolt's daytime visit, Jetfire came in with a flapping Predacon behind him. Both were let in, and Ripclaw gasped out the message she had practiced in her mind.

"I did all the research I could on Starscream," she rushed. "I learned to read and spent all my time learning about his past life. I asked everyone I could in the developing city about him. I think we have a chance of turning him around. Jetfire- he used to be Starscream's colleague and close friend. Maybe, Jetfire could calm him down!"

The Autobots in the room glanced at Jetfire's face, but he himself looked doubtful. Though he had come at Ripclaw's request, he grumbled, "_If_ this is Starscream. I am not entirely convinced on this… idea of his spirit."

"If our words are not enough," grumbled Ratchet, "you will be convinced soon enough."

Jetfire cast him a displeased look. "So all of you are serious? Team Prime, do you not believe that you are simply being tricked by some bot?"

"We are not fools, Jetfire," Ratchet uttered. "We considered every other explanation before this, but it became clear that this was a threat none of us have ever faced. The issue is so grave that we had wanted to keep everyone we could out of it."

He glanced at Ripclaw, then explained all that had happened to Jetfire. Slowly, the Seeker's skeptic face softened into concern.

"I wish I could help," he murmured. "But I am not sure what I can say to change him, because I do not know if he can be changed."

The Predacon gasped, "But Jetfire, how can you feel the same as everyone else when Starscream was once your friend? You must know him at a deeper level…"

"Once, we were friends," he replied. "That is true. But that was because I did not properly know him. His true personality came out when the Decepticons tempted him with power. He was already the richest and most powerful Seeker on Cybertron, and yet, he wanted more. He is selfish and evil to the core."

Ripclaw interjected, "I read all this, and yet, how can we blame him?"

"How can we not?"

"Enough bickering," Ratchet growled. "Whether or not it is his fault does not matter. He is dangerous and has to be stopped."

Jetfire replied to Ripclaw, "He has been pampered for so long that I doubt he will change now. He feels entitled to the best, and he is used to disposing of others in the way of his goals. He does not feel for others, and never has."

"Please, you cannot give up on him," she pleaded. "Do you not think that he liked you, even a bit, in the past? Were there not times where you two had enjoyable experiences?"

"I do not know if they were real."

"Do you truly hate him now?"

Jetfire turned his head. "I do."

Starscream bristled and stepped closer.

Ripclaw cried, "Why did you come here? You said you would help him!"

"I said no such thing," Jetfire answered. "I said that I would come, but I agreed to nothing. I came to find out what the Autobots were doing here, and now that I have my answer, I will return to the Aerialbots."

"But they want to _destroy_ Starscream's spark! Do you not care at all?"

Jetfire's mouth tightened into a line, and Starscream could see the lack of pity in his blue eyes. He quaked, feeling Jetfire's betrayal even deeper now than before. First, the huge Seeker had left him to join the Autobots, and now, he was abandoning him once again in hopes that he would vanish.

_I hate you. I hate you to the pits and back._

Starscream had not wanted to be helped, yet he had wanted Jetfire to at least try.

"I agree with their decision," Jetfire told her. "Especially now that Starscream is connected to dark energon. There is no hope for him. We must destroy him before he massacres us."

_You Autobots are the selfish ones._

Memories of their quiet times became drowned in fire. When they had worked together, Starscream had felt different. Jetfire had calmed his spirit and brought out his nicer side, in a time when Starscream was often getting into illegal mischief with Skywarp and Thundercracker. It had been real to him, but Jetfire thought those times had been lies.

_Your spark is the cruel one! You leave me, you always leave me- You turn your back on me again!_

Starscream snarled and slashed his fingers down Jetfire's wings. Jumping and hollering, Jetfire tried to escape, but the claws persisted. Lines rapidly opened up one after the other, then Starscream's final blow was on a wing joint. He dug in and pulled until it broke, when the wing fell useless against Jetfire's back.

The Seeker screamed but dropped into a rage. He barked, "Starscream! You cold-sparked demon, you will get what you deserve!"

Ripclaw snatched Jetfire and shouted, "No!"

Jetfire smacked away the Predacon's hands, then growled to the others, "Bridge me out of here. Bots in the other city will repair me, but I refuse to stay here any longer than I have to!"

"He may follow you," Ratchet cautioned.

"Let him. At least you would be relieved of him for a short while."

Ripclaw protested all the while and barely held herself back from grabbing Jetfire. The bleeding Seeker walked up to the opened portal, letting his final message be, "Best of luck to you all."

Once he was gone, Ultra Magnus scolded Ripclaw.

"You were meant to stay in the Autobot city and out of this ordeal. You have already caused enough trouble, and now you have gotten Jetfire involved. You are responsible for his injuries."

"I just thought," she stammered, "with all that I read-"

"Starscream has fooled you into caring for him. He feigned innocence and pretended to be your friend in order to use you. You must realize that your judgement has been clouded."

Ripclaw shook her head, not knowing that Ultra Magnus was not meant to be argued with. "I know what he did, but he should be given a chance! Talk to him, don't destroy him! It is not just!"

"He has been given chances in the past," Ratchet replied. "It is as Jetfire said. Starscream cannot change. And certainly, he will not now with the dark energon attached to his spark. The reason he has it in the first place proves how evil he is. I believe he is so corrupted that the Allspark would refuse to grant him entrance."

"He must be destroyed," murmured Bumblebee while absentmindedly touching his throat.

"No! No, you cannot-"

Ultra Magnus said, "It is time for you to leave."

"No." Ripclaw stamped her foot and rose to her full height over the Autobots. "I will _not_ let you destroy him."

"Call for Predaking," Ultra Magnus rumbled to Bumblebee.

"You cannot force me to leave!" she boomed. "No one can! This is wrong- I feel it in my spark!"

Her yelling was heard in the background as Bumblebee contacted Predaking. He rushed through a portal and berated Ripclaw.

"What are you doing here?" Predaking snapped. "Leave these Autobots in peace to do their work!"

"But they want to permanently destroy Starscream!"

"We were already informed about this." He curled his fists. "I thought you came to an understanding."

"No, I did not. I knew you would argue, so I went on and looked for information about him, anything that could sway him to stop attacking everyone."

"He would never listen to you," Predaking replied. "Or anyone else. He is evil, but you are too naive to comprehend it because he presented himself as kind in your dreams. Look at these bots and look at yourself. You bear the marks of his attacks. He could kill us, but he is far too cruel to do so. The time he is taking to torture us proves how dark he is."

"How do you think he feels about you?" Ripclaw threw back. "You slaughtered him! You slowly tore that bot apart! And now you think he should be wiped from existence? I refuse it! I will not let anyone do it!"

Predaking narrowed his eyes and swelled up in ire. At that moment, Starscream's laugh filled the room.

"You all argue as though such a thing can be decided," Starscream muttered. "I will not allow anyone to destroy me. No miserable Predacon has to stand up for me; do you truly believe that you can do more than I?"

He manifested beside Bumblebee at the controls, who immediately leapt back. Everyone backed down the catwalk toward the door as Starscream leaned with legs crossed casually. But he looked as demonic and hateful as ever, with eyes narrowed and the rest of his body bound in the colours of purple and vantablack.

"Typical Predacon, believing that you are the strongest, most capable being."

Predaking cried at his appearance, "What has happened to him?"

Starscream uttered, "At the very least, I am glad to have you both here. You are not leaving now. You will find just like everyone else has, that if you try to escape, you will soon be racing back here."

He faded from sight to let the Predacons react.

"He cannot keep us here," Predaking snarled. "We can take the portals or fly from this place!"

"He will follow you," Ratchet said. "We have not been able to escape ourselves through the groundbridge. He will freeze your energon or damage your insides, until you are forced to return."

Ripclaw shuddered.

Predaking did not want to give into the fear. He flexed his arms and rushed, "If we split and flee simultaneously, we can escape him. Then you can develop your technology and return."

"That is out of the question," Ratchet grunted. "Starscream would follow _me_. And while everyone else may get to safety, who would stay behind to protect Megatron? He cannot move on his own."

Predaking scrunched up his face in disgust on the topic of Megatron. While he hated him, he growled, "I can carry him."

Bulkhead cautioned, "Whoa, I don't like where this is going. Ratchet is going to get the worst of this, and I don't want him to get killed. We _need _him, but most importantly, we can't just abandon each other and hope 'Scream doesn't choose us! We stick together."

"No, Autobots. He will not go after Ratchet." Predaking puffed out his chest and rose his voice. "Because if he goes after Ratchet, he might lose his greatest enemies, myself and Megatron! You would not want that, would you, Starscream?"

The words shot into his spark and he froze. Starscream's eyes tightened into dots and he whispered to himself, "Do _you_ think you can outwit _me_?"

He extended his claws, but Predaking was already on the move. Charging down the halls and through broken doors, he followed the path he remembered from his last visit. The other Autobots mobilized in Starscream's evident absence; it was undeniable that he would hurry to Megatron and try to stop Predaking from taking him.

Bumblebee gasped, "Ratchet, we have to bridge you out first. _Now_."

* * *

Starscream arrived at the med bay, but the voice of Unicron was crying at him.

_Ratchet will escape now! Do not let them take the opportunity!_

He paused.

"I will get him," Starscream growled. "Even if they abandon the _Nemesis_, I will still be able to track them for their signals are recorded here. Unless they hide deep underground- but if there are any bots to be lost, I would prefer the others to these two."

Starscream could not believe that the bots he hated the most would collaborate. Predaking thundered down the hall to collect Megatron, to save him from Starscream or to offer them both as targets to draw him away. The hatred for them was overpowering, so much that Starscream thought that he should stop Predaking in his tracks before he could even touch Megatron. Then, he would enact his revenge on everyone for attempting such an arrogant escape.

He morphed into the shape of nightmare. As Starscream stretched out his body to fill the hallway, he became more transparent. At the same time, his purple body darkened to black until he was but a translucent shadow and glowing eyes. Predacon claws sprouted from his hands and feet, and a long muzzle full of black fangs extended from his face. Starscream's eyes had even stretched into the angular, predatory blank ones of a Predacon, completing the appearance as a sinuous tail swished behind him.

Predaking skidded to a stop when he encountered the purple-eyed demon. The shadow Predacon of his dream was here in real life, stalking forward and growling. Knockout and Arcee popped out their heads and wore twin expressions of horror, but Starscream ignored them. He saw Predaking overwhelmed by fear, for in the face of the monster, he felt just as small and weak as he had in the dream.

He cracked his jaws and grinned at Predaking.

"I will tear you apart," Starscream hissed.

Predaking snapped back to consciousness. It was Starscream- the Predacon was only Starscream, a spark and an illusion! He roared and plowed through him, feeling the tingle of his body like snowflakes on his armour. Instantly Starscream shouted and whirled around, slashing his hardened claws. These ripped through Predaking's back, but they did not do as much damage as Starscream had desired. Not when his body was as stretched out as it was.

Predaking hurried on without pause, booming at the other two, "Run! Now! We are all leaving this place!"

They hopped out of the room as Predaking skidded by with the spirit hard on his tail. Starscream shrank to his normal size and alighted with purple again. Claws icy and harder, Starscream leapt at Predaking and sliced him over the wings and back. Still, Predaking gritted his teeth and plucked Megatron from the berth.

Injuries jostled and scratched by the Predaking's hasty claws, Megatron hollered but did not fight the Predacon. When Predaking raced easily through Starscream again, he screeched in rage and flew after them. It was no issue to catch up and pierce his claws into Predaking's knees. Although he stumbled, however, he kept running with Megatron grasped to his chest. The two were close in height especially since Megatron's upgrade, but Predaking's body hid its true size and strength. He ran with ease, but his footsteps were sonorous upon the floor and drowned out the light taps of Knockout and Arcee running in the opposite direction.

_Starscream, you fool! Quit wasting your time here!_

Starscream dug his fingers through Predaking's neck and hardened the tips. Cold blasted into him and he gasped at the unfamiliar feeling. Predaking pushed on, hot blood resisting the freezing process only for a limited time. The pain throbbed and burned, but Predaking frantically searched for one of those side doors Megatron had once shot him out of. As his luck failed him, Predaking began to realize how rash his idea had been.

Black began to border his vision and close in to cover all he saw. Then, the dark energon and the decline of blood to his head began to dizzy him. The Predacon stumbled, and Megatron noticed his yellow eyes dulling. Many steps later, Predaking thumped into the wall and banged Megatron's legs. Both heard Starscream chuckle at Megatron's pain, but no matter how Predaking tried to be strong, he discovered that he could not be.

He was no match for Starscream, and he realized now that he had underestimated him. Predaking dropped Megatron, then tripped over him.

_Go to the others!_ Unicron barked.

For once, Megatron saw Starscream's fury directed upon someone else. He lay and watched Starscream float over Predaking's chest, raking his claws across it and bellowing, "You arrogant beast! You thought-! You thought you could outsmart me and escape me? You are not faster than me, you are no longer stronger than me either!"

_Starscream! _the voice growled.

Predaking hissed inwards and tried to sit. Starscream screamed and stabbed his hand into Predaking's shoulder. It passed through the thick armour, and Megatron twitched, knowing what Starscream was going to do. The joint was torn on the inside, forcing a booming cry to erupt from Predaking. Immediately after, Starscream shot a hand to Predaking's face and opened cuts down its natural lines.

"I ought to torture you exactly as you did me," Starscream inhaled. "Do you remember, Predaking?"

He changed his body once again, and both Megatron and Predaking lifted their eyebrows. The corpse crouched on his legs, scratched and lacking parts. Starscream leaned forward, eyes ignited with purple hatred as he showed Predaking the ugly scratch down his own face. As Predaking jolted back, Starscream dove and impaled his upper chest.

_This is pointless! Do not lose Ratchet!_

_I will not lose_ Ratchet, Starscream thought._ I will lose no one._

There were too many layers, so Starscream's stabs could not go as far as they had with Megatron. This did not discourage him from continuing until blood filled the holes.

As Predaking yelled, a strange wrath possessed Starscream.

"You dare scream?" he snapped. "You realize that this pains you? If you knew such things, why did you not understand the meaning of _my_ screams?"

Megatron shifted, but realized how useless his body was after Starscream had damaged his legs, arm, and hand. He could not even sit up on his own.

Starscream slashed through his exhaustion, letting the work be done by the dark energon around him.

_At least commit to this. End him as he ended you._

"Do you want to live, Predacon?" Starscream spat and stabbed his elbow joint. "Do you want my mercy?"

No words came from him, only yells and vain kicks.

"Beg," he growled. "Or I will get to everything. I will tear off your wings and chunks from your body."

Starscream ran his frigid fingers over his abdomen.

"I will eviscerate you and spill your vile organs."

Predaking's spark pulsed with fear and his body screeched over the floor as he tried to get onto his feet. Starscream's toxic hand remained in his head until he crumpled.

Megatron knew that Starscream would not stop even if Predaking begged. Before him was a scene that paralleled Starscream torturing him in the med bay, and with that realization came great insight about himself. There was a connection between him and Predaking. They had done the same, both had tortured Starscream and ignored his pleas for them to stop. His eyes widened. Although Starscream had growled his reasons for harming him, none of it had clicked. It was easy to fear and hate the powerful, demonic creature. It plagued them day and night, causing only harm. But it _was_ Starscream, in full.

Megatron had despised the ghost, remembering all the times Starscream had backstabbed him. But there was more to him than the conniving grin and glinting eyes. Megatron had forgotten that.

Megatron glanced over Starscream's corrupted body as he bent over Predaking. He was still very small, his arms and abdomen as thin as they ever had been. Megatron had punched and stomped those delicate parts before and had relished it. After his experience with Unicron, Megatron had realized what it was like to be tortured by and helpless to someone larger than himself. Looking at Starscream, Megatron realized for the first time that he had played the role of Unicron. It was even amazing that Megatron had not been the one to kill Starscream, but someone else.

How had his fragile frame held up against his wrath? He had been thrown, scratched, kicked, and scraped. Internals damaged, Starscream had even been sent to Knockout. That small Seeker had somehow clung to his life, and over time, he had grown more cowardly to protect it.

Starscream curled down and choked Predaking once again to weaken him. Megatron remembered how Starscream's back had arched many times as he bowed or groveled, prostrating himself in any way to ward off Megatron's fury. With no cause and no one to fight for, there had been nothing else for Starscream to give his life to. It was his, so beloved and guarded that Megatron realized just how painful it must have been for Starscream to lose it. He pictured the death scene easily, already knowing Starscream's screams and the way he struggled, then he imagined him even more desperate.

Those lingering marks on Predaking's chest, those were Starscream's claw marks from when he had lived. Now, Starscream tore over them until energon leaked.

_He had fought so hard._

Starscream sneered at Megatron's staring.

"Do you feel like you are missing out, Megatron?"

Starscream padded forward, wings high in irritation. Then he caught Megatron's eyes properly and noticed some strange emotion within them. Those red eyes stored the same pity that he had seen in Ripclaw's eyes, but Starscream was not touched to see this. The opposite- he was infuriated to be pitied. And he did not know why Megatron would pity him in a time when he ought to be afraid, so he was offended as well.

"What are you looking at?" he hollered.

_Kill him._

Starscream shot his claws at Megatron's throat then halted. It was tempting and easy to kill both his enemies here and now. Perhaps, too easy. It was so soon and Starscream felt such fulfillment in torturing them; the thought that one day there would be no more of it scared him. What would he do after? How would he be able to comfort himself about his death once everyone was gone?

It had to continue, for as long as it could until he felt at peace. Megatron was surprised when Starscream withdrew, but he knew there was trouble for there was a duplicitous gleam in his eyes. Starscream had thought of a wicked idea, which he refused to share with them now.

All he said was, "Yes, run. Run, you two. As far as you like... I will not stop you."

He faded away, leaving Megatron blinking at the spot he had been. It took Predaking minutes to recover before he got up and reached for Megatron. He hissed in pain from his injured shoulder, then did his best to hold Megatron securely with just one arm. Neither liked what they had heard, but there was no way they would stay in this hellhole any longer.

Megatron uttered the way, then Predaking burst outside in his draconic form with Megatron in his claws.

Starscream continued on his way, thinking,_ They all can run, but…_

The _Nemesis_ was empty. Starscream stood at the front, then gawked at the slashed controls. Bumblebee had done Optimus' role when their base on Earth had been destroyed. Everyone had escaped through the groundbridge, then Bumblebee destroyed the records of where they had been teleported to. The sports car was now rolling away across the flat land, but Starscream calmed immediately and watched him leave. All this made no difference, for this too could be mended in the course of his new plan.

A quest for power and a game to prolong his enjoyment.

Starscream doubted that Ratchet would ever corner him now, and Starscream smirked for he did not think he would ever need to come near Ratchet again to hurt him. The Seeker stroked the broken controls, feeling nothing but doing it out of habit. He was glad, after all, for this warship was now his.

* * *

Before morning warmed the land and their sparks, the vehicons were horrified when Starscream manifested in their lounge. Not all slept at night, so a sizable group of twenty remained downstairs to relax and chat. Things had calmed since Starscream had not appeared in a while; however, the moment he appeared, chairs flipped over and vehicons bolted.

"Be still and silent," Starscream uttered.

The vehicons froze were they were, turning slowly then beginning to shake. Bands of orange light surrounded Starscream, all those eyes soaking up his terrifying appearance. He was no longer grey, but purple and black, which could only signify dark energon. There had been plenty reason before to fear him, and they had known that his eyes had been purple. So something had changed for the worse to have made him this way.

"I will let you live on one condition." Starscream dragged his claws over a table, letting them flinch and know that he was business. "You will obey me as your one true master."

The vehicons were speechless. Starscream smiled slowly. Last time he had taken power after Megatron's apparent death, there had been whispers and snide remarks from the troopers. Now, there was no reluctance.

"Kneel."

They dropped onto their knees. Starscream walked among them without making a sound.

"You know precisely what I can do to you. You might have already heard about the voicebox I ripped from that vehicon's throat. I will do worse to you if you do not obey me." Starscream paused in front of one vehicon, who shook harder when he did. "All of you. Quietly rouse the others and inform them that I have returned to rule them. Gather your tools. We shall head to the fallen warship and bring it back into the sky."

The vehicons jumped onto their feet and scattered to do his bidding. Once they were gone, Starscream leaned back and let lose a maniacal laugh. For once, the sliver of Unicron felt snug around him and pleased. With the warship came weapons and greater potential for death and destruction, so it seemed that Starscream had reached his greatest potential.

Vehicons began to crowd into the front. By then, Starscream was already hovering and deadly calm.

"Go."

The vehicons poured outside despite the Aerialbot guards on duty. Fireflight and Air Raid yelped as a storm of cars and jets took off, all pointed in a singular direction. Though they did not know their destination, they sprang to action.

"Autobots to warship," Air Raid called. "All vehicons are bailing out-"

There was only static on the line.

"Hello?"

Then, the two Seekers fell when Starscream rushed him in the same way he had Knockout. Two high-speed fists, then they were silent. Starscream landed and stood beside the door as the couple hundred vehicons hurried past him, unhindered by any Autobots. His eyes relished the sight of each unorganized row that passed him. Each bot was his, when once they had been Megatron's.

A loyal army. A warship. It was the glory he had dreamed of the night he had been killed, except now it only seemed better because he was untouchable as a spirit.

He was invincible, and now, he was Lord.


	16. Beloved Failure

**_We near the end... but remember, it's only over when I write "The End."_**

* * *

At last, Starscream thought it.

_I am happy._

The _Nemesis_ rumbled in familiar power and passed over the land, casting its shadow onto plains. The sound of home and memories vibrated in the air, but for others, it would be the sound of coming doom. Starscream stood at the front, staring out the curved window and regarding his faint reflection smiling back at him. Beneath him in the rows, vehicons stared at the purple wings of their phantom lord, silent and unmoving in their worry. They had done all that he had asked. The ship was functional, and all broken doors and severed cameras were almost completely mended. So now, they stayed and waited for his next command.

Yet Starscream had not spoken much since they had arrived and gotten to work. Once the main controls and computer had been patched up, Starscream had only drawled, "Ah, there you are."

All life signals had popped up before him: each of the Autobots' including the Aerialbots', Knockout's, Megatron's, and Predaking's. He could see that none of them had gone very far, and that they had not split off individually. They were packed into little groups in Iacon, moving about, scavaging for materials and bringing it back to Ratchet's location. As for Predaking and Megatron, they had pushed on to the place where the Predacons had been residing. No doubt to get to Skylynx and Darksteel and explain all that had happened. Then, their signals remained there, boldly offering themselves to Starscream.

_They think they are brave_. He shook his head and turned toward the collected bunch of Autobot life signals. They had stopped moving; they had completed their trap, but there was no chance Starscream was going down there himself. So he imagined instead their reactions when they heard the rumbling of the _Nemesis_. All of them were probably standing around and looking at each other with tightened mouths. Then, Bulkhead, he imagined, lifted his head and raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Do you guys hear that?" he likely asked. Starscream pictured everyone looking up with him with widened eyes. Then, they scurry outside and…

The signals moved. There they were. All the Autobots including Cliffjumper and Knockout burst outside, gathering and gawking at the approaching warship together. Below Starscream, they likened multicoloured, petrified insects. Their eyes must have been popping and whispered words of horror slipping from their mouths.

Starscream languidly pressed the buttons to activate the massive laser underneath the warship, the same that once destroyed the Autobot base on Earth. The weapon unfolded below and began to heat up. At the sight of it, Starsream's quarry panicked. Ratchet's orange and white body shoved Smokescreen as he yelled something. Both bots raced back into the building while all the others whirled around and transformed, screeching away from the area.

"Ah, the Phase Shifter," Starscream murmured. "Clever."

He had seen that the Autobots had taken the relics and Unicron's container in their hasty retreat. Most likely, Smokescreen had picked up his favourite and clipped it back onto his wrist. Whatever they had in that building, they were going to protect it with the Phase Shifter from the explosion.

"Let us see just what you have built," Starscream chuckled.

The point of the laser hovered over the building and the size of the warship blocked the sun from the developing Iacon. Starscream fired, and the super-heated beam seared through instantly, cracking it open and melting the structure into ripples of liquid metal. He amused himself by casually turning it off, as though he had all the time in the world. Then, Starscream switched the camera so that he could see what lay among the molten building.

At that moment, a Predacon crashed into the front window with a _thunk_. There was Ripclaw, clinging and staring at him through the barrier with as much emotion put into her expression as she could. But Starscream grimaced and stared back in disgust at the sight of her.

"Revolting beast," he hissed. Ripclaw could not hear him, but the hate was clear in his eyes as he looked over her fangs and claws.

Starscream electrified the window. Blue lightning snaked around the Predacon, then he chuckled as she slid off with wings locked. The two Autobots remaining in the camera looked over, likely seeing the Predacon drop nearby into the streets. Then, Starscream leaned forward to scrutinize them. Ratchet and Smokescreen lived, holding each other and four rods between them. No other relics were in sight, but Starscream assumed the others had been carrying them inside them. The only other thing on scene was the toppled container with Unicron's spirit.

Starscream felt a jolt of fury that was not his. The dark energon saw through him, but knew that even Starscream was powerless to release the god-like being. Starscream ignored the feeling, concerned only with his own affairs. Still shimmering blue, the Autobots were intangible and protecting those rods. Now, they looked upwards and spoke to each other although Starscream could not hear their words.

_They are up to something…_

Starscream checked all the life signals. Megatron and Predaking still had not moved, but the other Autobots seemed to be regrouping. What caused Starscream to jerk, however, was the Aerialbot signals moving in V-formation toward the _Nemesis_.

He spun and glanced at the vehicons. Useless! He could not expect any amount of them to fight Seekers, and he was not willing to lose members of his crew so soon. Starscream narrowed his eyes at the signals and began turning all weapons online. Adding a side camera to the screen, he could see the pointed dots of their forms approaching.

_They might try to combine_, he realized. Five of the Aerialbots could form Superion and cause serious damage, but their size would make them an easy target. Starscream preferred that they did not try it, for as hard as hitting six Seekers could be, they could not down the warship.

_This is what being a lord is about_. He settled his shoulders and let the confidence fill him. _I can outwit them all. This is what I was always meant to be._

Jetfire swerved suddenly down toward the blast site, toward Ratchet and Smokescreen. The five combiners soared straight on. Growling, Starscream snapped at the vehicons, "Take the controls! Fly after the other Autobots life signals. Fire at them and the Aerialbots incoming from the right flank! I have business to attend to..."

All the vehicons hustled to do as he had commanded, too many- and crashed into each other out of fear. Starscream huffed and hurried out, leaving the ship to them. As he zipped outside, the lasers began to fire from the right and the ship flew forward, away from Ratchet and Smokescreen. The two Autobots looked shocked, worrying for it seemed that Starscream was changing his plan.

Silverbolt was the torso of the combiner, so Starscream knew that he would have to be taken out. As shots fired toward them, the five Aerialbots easy spun around them and continued toward the warship. That was when an invisible force plowed into Silverbolt like a block of clawed ice. He whirled in panic, but there was no dislodging the force.

"It's Starscream!" he barked to the others. Then, he yelped as his wing was pierced. Silverbolt spiraled out of control, dropping out of the formation dangerously fast toward the buildings.

"Silverbolt!" the others cried.

He transformed but still crashed through a wall. They went on without him, and Starscream did not stay behind to check if he was dead. Ratchet and Smokescreen were mobilizing. Jetfire had landed among them, and the two were now trying to climb onto him while holding the rods. With the Phase Shifter still powered on, Jetfire adopted the same glowing effect when they grasped him.

_They are going to try to fly those rods to the Nemesis._

With the Phase Shifter, they could get ride into the control room and lay their traps. If they lay them, then Starscream could not get near the warship's controls again.

_You may think you are unstoppable with that Phase Shifter. Because no bot can touch you and nothing can hold you…_

_Except, there seems to be one thing you are forgetting, Smokescreen._

Starscream flashed upwards after them.

I _can still touch you._

Ratchet fumbled the two rods he held in his hand. He desperately did not want to drop them, but he shifted his grip to press the power buttons.

"Smokescreen!" he called. "Turn them on!"

Smokescreen moved his thumb, but then his scream ripped away as he was torn off Jetfire's wing. He spun aerial somersaults, yelling and gazing out in horror as the rods flew from his hands. That was the reason for his cry, for the drop he knew he could survive with the Phase Shifter. Ratchet hollered, Jetfire turned, but then the rods froze in the air as Starscream snatched them both.

He manifested himself so that they would see him when he snapped the rods in his hands.

"Did you _think_-" Starscream screeched, "that you would defeat _me_?"

He moved faster than they could react. He shoved Ratchet despite the powered rods, flinging him off Jetfire's other wing. Now here was someone who could not save himself from the fall. Not without Smokescreen and his Phase Shifter, already tumbling down below. For a second, Starscream felt a tugging sensation from the rods pressed together in Ratchet's hands. They were attracting him somehow, but then- the feeling vanished as Ratchet dropped through open air.

Jetfire boomed, "No!"

The huge Seeker swerved after the unprotected Autobot. Then, something landed on his back. It felt solid and extremely cold, but it did not have the weight of a living bot.

"This ends here," Starscream hissed.

Starscream dug into his recently repaired wing. Below him, the jet howled in pain and veered off course. Ratchet continued to fall, with no one now to try and catch him. Starscream leapt off Jetfire, watching the two plummet in different directions.

He cackled, "This is the price you pay for opposing me!"

Ratchet struck the ground like a meteorite, cracking plates and creating a crater around him. He twitched, then lay still. Jetfire crashed into another building, and his roar of pain weaved into Smokescreen's horrified shout as he raced toward Ratchet.

Starscream smirked. Was _this_ how Megatron had felt? When he could just charge into battle and toss everyone aside? It was refreshing to have crumpled all his enemies while he had sustained no injuries. While he did feel fatigued, this had been the easiest battle he had perhaps ever partaken in.

_Power, at last._

Starscream snapped back his head to the _Nemesis_. It was still flying ahead, chasing the other Autobots. The new buildings that the vehicons had laboured over were now being blasted and destroyed, but Starscream thought that he would have them fixed later. After all, the Cybertronians who would eventually worship him had to live _somewhere_. Once his enemies were gone, Cybertron would be developed until life was as glorious as it had once been during the Golden Age.

Space bridges to connect them to the colonies, fleets of ships to conquer the universe... Starscream could be more than a Prime to them, but their _god_. God of the universe. Invincible, immortal, and nearly omnipresent with the speed at which he could travel. But he did not want his kind to despise him. A hard punisher he would be, but Starscream did not want to be an oppressor to his people. Only alien races would fear and hate him, but millions of Cybertronians and colonists would adore him.

A beloved legacy, unforgotten and known by all intelligent life.

Starscream zipped back to his post in the front of the _Nemesis_. Vehicons skipped away before he would need to swipe them aside, and they quailed from the chill that passed them. He glared at the signals and grinned. With four Autobots down, the fight was looking hopeless for them. The Aerialbots had even turned back to help the fallen.

There were still two rods to be taken care of. That had to be done before Smokescreen could help the Aerialbots get them into the _Nemesis_. Starscream began to reheat the massive laser on the bottom of the ship, knowing that this time, not everyone could be protected by Smokescreen. The heavy mass of the ship slowly turned its back on the other Autobots to face the injured on the ground.

At least one would die, he thought. The stunned Predacon, and Jetfire if he could not be moved in time. Presumably, Smokescreen would cover Ratchet, but the rods that had flown away when Ratchet crashed- those would not be found and protected. This time, they would be melted by Starscream's laser.

His grin widened.

_And then, I should just fly after the other Autobots with this laser still on. They cannot drive faster than this ship. They cannot hide either; they will be melted in the weapon's red path._

The dark energon tingled in excitement.

Starscream heard the door behind him open. He glanced back, but it was only a cluster of frightened vehicons. They filed in to join the group down below the catwalk, increasing the audience of orange eyes upon him.

Starscream grinned, relishing the many faces there to watch his success.

"Are the doors and cameras now fully repaired?" he called to the vehicons while watching the signals.

Ratchet, Smokescreen, and the Aerialbots had not yet moved, although the warship was drawing closer. His impatient, translucent finger twitched over the button to fire.

There was silence. That was much too unusual. Even while frightened, the vehicons should have whimpered out a "yes" or a "no" to their lord. Starscream whipped to the right and glared at the crowd, since he could not tell who the new arrivals were.

"Well?" he barked.

One vehicon stepped forward and gazed back at him.

"We will not serve you any longer, Starscream," he uttered. "Or anyone."

Starscream's purple eyes tightened with fatal ire. "_What_?"

The vehicons leaned back, but this one went on. "We are no one's servants anymore. We are free; we _chose_ to be Autobots!"

Starscream snarled and dove through the catwalk, claws outstretched to rip open the vehicon's immobile face. But all had known that the defiance would have attracted Starscream- already, the speaker and three other vehicons mixed into the crowd began to move. Their arms came around their backs, revealing rods glowing with power. Less than a metre from the speaker's face, Starscream's fingers crashed into a barrier.

"Everyone, get back!" the speaker hollered.

All the vehicons dove behind him. Starscream rushed at a group fleeing, only to strike another wall. He glanced up, eyes expanding in rage to see another vehicon holding a rod identical to Ratchet's. Starscream gasped and spun, seeing the other two vehicons standing boldly and holding out their rods.

"What?" he screeched. "That is impossible!"

Faster than a blink, he floated before the vehicon speaker's face. "You best release me, immediately," he spat. "Or I won't just kill you when I get out. I will erase your spark from existence!"

The vehicon stared back, body steeled. "You will not escape."

Starscream rushed upwards, only to feel that tug strengthening to unbearable pressure. He crashed into an invisible ceiling, and the same result occurred when he tried to dive down through the floor.

"You cannot stand there forever! I may not be able to touch you, but others can!" Starscream yelled at the bystander vehicons, "You, seize them!"

The other vehicons did not move. They raised their shoulders to square themselves up, and one even replied, "We will not obey you. This is for all you did to us!"

"You miserable, mutinous lot!" he screamed. "You think that you are safe? I will get out of here! If just one of them slips, or if one rod malfunctions-"

At that moment, the door hissed open once again. Heavy footsteps marched into the room, then they crashed down behind the vehicons after leaping over the side. Starscream gasped, and despite not touching the floor, he tripped.

Shockwave strolled closer, his unblinking, red eye focused upon him.

"Excellent," Shockwave rumbled. Without fear, he wandered up to one of the vehicon's sides to peer at Starscream. His head spikes cocked in interest to at last have the opportunity to examine his haunter in full. He seemed curious about the purple embedded into his body, although Starscream slashed the barrier and roared at him.

"You!" he cried. "What are _you_ doing here? How did you get here? I will destroy you, Shockwave! You dare do this to me? Do you not realize what power I possess?"

"At the moment, you do not currently possess any," Shockwave responded.

Starscream pounded the barrier and shrieked, "Just you wait! I _will_ get you, Shockwave! I will tear you apart slowly for this! I will rip your spark to shreds!"

Shockwave backed away as his threats poured out, as though suddenly disinterested. He addressed the vehicons, "Land this warship and inform everyone that Starscream has been contained."

The spirit swore and hurled threats while rushing around the prison faster than anyone's eyes could track. He did not relent in the time it took them to land the ship at the edge of the construction effort. However, when the vehicons called the signals they had seen left up on the screen, Starscream went silent. He stared at the underside of the catwalk, not wanting to sound like a bound prisoner in the background. With all his power, he could not appear to be weak. He had to keep up his air of invincibility, even while trapped…

_Someone must be intimidated into releasing me_.

The vehicons became desensitized to his lunges and stopped jerking when he shot at them. Some even bolted out of the room to carry the news, to bring in fresh crowds to have a look at him. He seethed and went invisible to avoid their gazes.

"No, it's not over," he whispered to himself in his own dimension. He rushed at the walls, but somehow, they still caught him. "It is not!"

The wretched, orange eyes still bored into him. The relieved chuckles and cries of cheer shook him like large pairs of hands. The pleasure and murmurs threw him back to how they had made a spectacle of his dead body, bringing in groups to snicker at his misfortune.

"Stop!" he growled. "You pathetic troopers, you are nothing! I will kill every last one of you for this. When I get out of here…!"

The cries of delight that came through the communication link burned him. Starscream squatted and placed his hands over the sides of his head, although it did nothing to block out the sound. He glared forward, quaking.

"No, this was supposed to be my victory!" he shouted. "I _defeated_ them! No, how did this happen? How could this have possibly happened to me?"

The vehicons! How could they have betrayed him? It was not fair, how could he have known that they could be a threat? _Where_ had Shockwave come from? How had he gotten in? And these rods- had _Shockwave_ made them? But how could he have known?

Starscream sat heaving.

"No, it is not over. I will get out of here. I will kill them all. At once, without mercy…"

_It is over._

"No, it is not!" he roared back.

_You will not get out._

"I will," Starscream snarled.

_No, you will not. No one will release you. You have no allies, and no one will fear you now._

The part about _allies_ got to Starscream. He raised his head and gazed at the vehicons open-mouthed. Not one of them had been loyal to him, and the moment they saw a chance to overthrow him, they took it. His eyebrows furrowed. He bet that they would not have dared do this to Megatron if he had restarted the War. Only him, the one that no one ever took seriously. Though vehicons could not smile, he felt that they were. He tilted back and screamed out his feeling of injustice.

"Make room," Shockwave told the vehicons.

They reluctantly cleared the area, so that the portal opening down below allowed in the invitees. Shockwave stood by the vehicons holding the rods, gazing on as all the Autobots of the battle came through. Ratchet, Silverbolt, and Jetfire were in rough condition, but functional. Even Ripclaw, now transformed, dragged herself in with head lowered. Knockout stepped in behind Arcee and Cliffjumper, frowning and flashing his eyes around. Then, a fresh portal opened. Predaking walked in, supporting Megatron, while Skylynx and Darksteel followed in behind.

They filled the rows that the vehicons just had. Everyone stared in awe at Shockwave, thinking nothing of the fact that he had formerly been wanted.

Knockout asked, "So… he's in there?"

Starscream stood up and glared at the assembly while remaining invisible. He tried to collect words that would convince someone to help him escape. The only one who could see him- Cliffjumper, gazed down and certainly could not have been any help even if he wanted to be.

"He is," Shockwave answered. "He remains unseen, perhaps to make us believe that he has escaped. But he has been captured, and there is no way for him to break free of the energon containment field."

Ratchet looked over the rods in admiration. He sighed, "This is exactly the trap we attempted to design. However, each of our attempts were thwarted, for he knew of our intentions."

Shockwave slowly turned to admire his own work with him. "As I was informed." He indicated Ripclaw now, who was not making eye contact with anyone. "The Predacon tracked me and described the trouble that you were facing. We teleported here, and then I utilized a remote control groundbridge to bring me into the vessel. Here, I found support among the vehicon troopers. Fortunately, I had already constructed the rods as a trap within my laboratory. For you see, he had been pursuing me as well. I managed to escape him, but had prepared the trap beforehand in case he ever located me again."

Smokescreen breathed, "So, it's like, exactly like Ratchet's?"

"It is," Ratchet answered. "The dark energon is his weakness. The rods all attract energon; therefore, the rods on each side draw him in all directions, holding him between them."

Predaking, Darksteel, Skylynx, and Megatron all appeared impressed. Then, they and everyone gazed apprehensively into the invisible box as Starscream manifested.

"You must think that you are clever," Starscream hissed.

His appearance made them twitch. But then, they took a long look at him for they had not been able to before. It was entirely _Starscream_ in form, except for the colours. The dark energon covered his spark with purple and deep black, and his eyes were alight like the eyes of the undead Predacons. Skylynx and Darksteel stepped back, but they were not cowed. No one was- Starscream was harmless, like a spider trapped under glass for all to gawk at.

He bared his claws and teeth, then snarled, "You will all regret this! I _will_ get out of here one day, either if someone releases me for my favour, or if a rod ever malfunctions! Then, I will _never_ allow you to capture me again! I know of your tricks now. I will never trust anyone again."

He shot a venomous glare towards the vehicons peering down from above.

The trio of Predacons looked at everyone with worry, and Ripclaw hugged herself.

Shockwave responded, but not to Starscream. He turned his back to him and explained to the others, "There will be no chance of escape. By increasing the draw of each rod, the dark energon will be torn in all directions. Starscream's spark will be destroyed in the process."

Starscream froze.

_Wait._

Ripclaw raised her head. She murmured, "Do we… _really_ have to?"

Predaking tore his gaze away from Starscream and walked to Ripclaw. He lay a hand over her shoulder. "We must. He is far too dangerous. Every one of us has been harmed by him, and he will not stop until all of us have died in excruciating ways."

Ultra Magnus stared at Starscream, blue eyes hard like stones. "It is true. He is a violent and unstoppable force. We cannot risk him ever escaping, for it is true that we might not be able to contain him again."

The Autobots nodded sagely while Starscream flickered his eyes over their faces. He sought an ally, someone who would support him, but he could not find what he wanted. Ripclaw slowly turned so that she would not have to watch, and Knockout gazed at him anxiously, hoping that he would be destroyed as soon as possible. Even Cliffjumper remained quiet, finally having nothing left to say to Starscream. Spark stung, Starscream tried looking again, then noticed Megatron.

He had not looked away from Starscream, still trying understand the transformation of his former second-in-command into this supernatural monster. In Megatron's eyes was that same emotion he had gazed at Starscream with when he had been torturing Predaking.

_Pity?_ Starscream bristled. His fingers curled into fists. _Is he pitying me? How dare he! How dare he find me pathetic!_

Everyone was surprised when Starscream snapped, "What are you looking at?"

They followed his gaze to Megatron, who did not know how to respond.

Starscream's rage only heightened. His black fists smacked and clawed at the barrier silently as he shrieked, "_What are you looking at_?"

"Primus, he's deranged," uttered Silverbolt. "We have to do something."

All heads, except for Megatron's, turned to Shockwave.

Ratchet told the others, to comfort anyone who looked somewhat guilty, "It will only take a moment. He will not feel a thing."

Starscream choked. He did not care if it hurt or how fast it was, what mattered was that he was going to be _destroyed_\- never feeling or thinking anything again. He could not even conceptualize nothingness, and these moments had felt surreal. Had he not just been outside, dominating everyone? How had he gotten down here and into this prison?

It did not seem true that he was here. The severity of what they wanted to do did not hit him until Shockwave moved. He started telling the vehicons which button they would press and how many times. Then, it became real. Starscream felt flushed with panic and heat, then the fury in his eyes vanished to be replaced with helpless fear. He leapt and pressed his hands against the barrier, scanning for allies and crying out.

"No! Wait!" he cried. "Please, don't kill me!"

Everyone paused. The Autobots stared and started to wear guilty expressions when they saw him anew. The spirit, no longer flared up in anger, quivered with wings down.

But Ultra Magnus uttered, "He is acting to invoke our pity. Do not fall for his tricks."

Their eyes flicked back to Shockwave; Starscream screamed, "No! Please, no! Spare me, I will not harm you! Please!"

The Predacons grimaced and turned. Knockout covered his head, and Wheeljack patted Smokescreen, for the young bot was bending to his guilt. All the Aerialbots stared on in impatience, but it was Megatron's staring that hurt Starscream above anything else. Starscream felt like he was holding up the roof of the cave once again, the prospect of death crushing down on him while Megatron watched him. This time, it was not cruel and amused eyes. The pity in the red…

No, perhaps it was not pity. Starscream had been mistaking sorrow for pity all this time, not realizing that just because someone was sad for him did not mean that they thought he was pathetic. Megatron felt regret over the turn of events that had led Starscream here, perhaps feeling guilt over how he had tortured his spirit into becoming what it had.

_They believe you will never change,_ murmured the voice. _In that, they are correct. For you are a failure, Starscream, and it is all that you will ever be._

Without saying goodbye explicitly, the whisper had said its farewell and refused to say more.

Starscream mewled and flung his wings down further. Pounding frantically, Starscream cried out and spooked the vehicons into pausing over the buttons.

He could hardly think anymore, the fear driving him to instinct. Starscream collapsed to his knees, stared at Megatron, and he sobbed, "Master, save me! I can be useful. I swear that I will be, I won't disobey you ever again. Please spare me!"

The vehicons shook themselves and started pressing. Megatron stepped forward, wincing in pain on legs that could not support him. The pressure began to increase, yanking Starscream in all directions. There was no pain, but he felt it and screamed-

Arcee was faster than Megatron. She sprinted and plowed into the closest vehicon, hitting him with such force that he yelped and the rod shot out from his hands. The cube's pull snapped back into a triangular prism behind Starscream, freeing him of the tension. While he felt the pressure fade, he was so shocked to be intact that he could not move. His mind swam through fear and tried to realize what had just happened.

Almost everyone was yelping in horror at what Arcee had done. They danced back in their renewed terror of him, but still, Starscream knelt with his wings down and made no move for them. Slowly, Starscream lifted his eyes and found Arcee standing in front of him.

"...What?" he whispered.

Arcee stopped in front of him, close to his eye level with him as low as he was.

"What just happened?" he murmured, expression mild in genuine confusion.

"We aren't going to kill you," Arcee replied.

Starscream blinked. Her voice was strange, for it was far too gentle to be addressed to him. Yet he gazed up into her eyes and realized that she was indeed speaking to him.

"Ar...cee…" Starscream murmured. "Did you save me?"

Arcee relaxed and chuckled softly. "I suppose, you owe me one now. We're not even anymore."

Starscream stared until his eyes widened in understanding. As they did, golden lubricant began to pool and drip over the sides. Of course, it was not real, but Starscream felt so sure that he was crying that it became incorporated into his appearance. When they fell off his face, they disintegrated into smaller specks until they could not be seen returning to the light of his spark.

Arcee's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she was certainly not alone. All who had spoken ill about him stood with limp arms dangling and with expressions of regret. They had been wrong about him, for he had not been acting, and he had not been an unchangeable demon.

Arcee had known more, for Starscream had given her greater insight. She had been Starscream in that cave and had felt all that he had, as he begged for Megatron's mercy. To see his eyes locked on Megatron and hear those words shot her back into that dream. Arcee knew his pain and his genuine fear, and the sympathy pounded her blood until she moved.

"You don't have to be afraid or alone anymore," she murmured.

The tears kept leaking from his face.

"You saved me," he choked. "You saved me…"

Slowly, the purple lifted off him like evaporating droplets. A thin mist floated away, becoming fainter and fainter until it was too insignificant to be perceived by anyone. Starscream's eyes regained their red as his colours lightened and returned to its gentle grey, blue, black…

Cliffjumper gasped.

Starscream stepped up a leg, kneeling now only on one. His arms looped around Arcee, drawing her in against his chest. With the dark energon gone, the cold had vanished. His spark felt warm like metal left under the sun when it pressed into Arcee. The tears continued to drip as he embraced her and hesitantly glanced to the others. He was afraid of what he was going to see, disagreement over Arcee's actions…

Instead, Starscream saw rows of sadness, not pity.

He stepped back and rose to stand before them. With wings down, he clutched his arms and struggled to meet their gazes.

"I am so sorry," he whispered, voice hoarse. "For all that I have done…"

Ripclaw stepped down and breathed, "You poor thing… You must have been in so much pain, with no one to understand…"

A fresh influx of tears fell down his face.

"Y-yes," he coughed. "It hurt... so much…"

She beckoned him, and he padded forward. When he moved, his feet made light patters on the ground. The Predacon hugged him and marveled at how real he felt, so close to a living bot in his desire to be felt and held.

"You're warm," she murmured.

She curled her fingers, as though afraid to scratch him, then rubbed the smooth parts of her fingers over his wings.

They heard weighted footsteps thumping down toward them. When Starscream saw Predaking approaching, he jerked away and fell a few steps backwards. However, sorrow consumed Predaking's eyes and he lifted an agonized hand.

"Wait, Starscream…" His voice was so feathery. "Please…"

Starscream calmed and stared back, his eyes wide but now dry.

"Starscream…" Predaking sighed. "I wish I could express my feelings, but I do not know if my words will ever suffice or heal you. There is no fixing what I have done…"

Starscream blinked and his eyebrows tilted.

"I am so relieved that we did not have to destroy you," Predaking murmured. "I was scared, but I knew I was wrong… I put you through so much pain and made you this way. I did not know how I was hurting you, each time I told everyone that you deserved to die, that you should be forgotten… I told only lies, Starscream. I was trying to convince others and my own spark. For I knew the whole time that it was wrong that we- _I_ killed you. And I could not bear that I had done it, because… It was not what I intended to do. Your death was… an accident."

Starscream inhaled a little gasp.

"Yes," Predaking choked. "I do not know what overcame me. I did not realize what I was doing, I did not recognize your screams… Only later did I recall your words, when you begged for us to not kill you. When I realized what I was doing, you were already gone… My spark can never forget the feeling when I put you down and saw you opened up and your eyes so dark. There was so much blood, and no matter how I nudged you, you just would not wake…"

Predaking rubbed his face.

"I was ashamed of who I was. I wondered each day and night, what am I? Some kind of violent beast that I cannot control? I ripped you apart and became the animal that you always feared and despised. But I did not want to believe it. I lied, over and over again that I had _planned_ to kill you… I am glad that you challenged me, for I was a coward. I never admitted my faults because I wanted to spare _myself_ of pain. I did not mean to abandon your body… I was running away…"

He swept away his tears as fast as they came.

"If… if you had survived… I would have been so happy," he whispered. "I would have apologized, tried to make things right… But, you were gone…"

Starscream was shaking so hard that Predaking gasped. Afraid that he was causing him more pain, he exclaimed, "No-! I am sorry, Starscream. Please, do not feel any more pain…"

The tears were flowing freely now from both their faces.

"An accident?" Starscream mewled. "It was an- an accident?"

Skylynx and Darksteel had made their way up to Predaking's side.

"We did not mean to," Skylynx whispered. "We should never have even come after you…"

Darksteel whined, "You did not deserve to be hurt. I am so sorry for what I did. I… I felt so ashamed too! I don't know what I became…"

"We're monsters," Skylynx croaked. "You were right about us. As Predacons…"

Megatron had sat down with no one to support him. From where he was, he rasped, "No. It is not our races that defined our actions. I am equally guilty."

The Predacons and Starscream looked to him.

"I am no Predacon, but I too was a monster." He raised his head and let his voice carry. "I am too familiar with the feeling that you are describing. A haze of rage and apathy clouded my mind for countless years. I punished Starscream more times than I can remember, and his screams had become irritating, background noise with no meaning. I did not care what I did to him, and it is fortune alone that he survived me. Even after I announced that I was a changed bot, it took me too long still to understand what I had done to Starscream. I was more monstrous than you three, for I never regretted anything until yesterday. I did not only feel nothing, I had _enjoyed_ the pain I caused him. Your sparks are brighter than mine."

All the words seemed to have overwhelmed Starscream. He could no longer even look at anyone anymore, but shake and cry.

Jetfire hobbled over to Starscream and hugged him, to which Starscream clung on in response.

"Oh, how cruel I have been to you…" Jetfire murmured. "...my old friend."

Starscream whimpered and pressed his head into his abdomen.

"Feel no more pain, Starscream," Jetfire said. "You are free of the dark energon now… Go find peace in the Allspark and feel happiness again."

Starscream jerked out of his grasp, shocking him. Jetfire's arms froze, partially open in disbelief that he had shot out of them.

"No!" he sobbed. "I don't want to go, I can't, I-I don't…"

All the faces looked so concerned, and he knew what they were thinking. Each one of them thought that he should go join the Allspark for his own good.

But the thought terrorized him as much as it ever had.

"I don't want to disappear!" Starscream cried. "I can't go, I want to be me-! I don't want to forget…"

Arcee murmured, "Why, Starscream? Won't it be easier to let go of this pain? You may be able to start a new life, one without any pain…"

The concern was too much. Starscream clutched himself and whimpered, "No, no… I don't want to go, I…"

They did not hear anymore, for he had disappeared. Although they looked around for him and wondered if he had gone, he had not. Starscream stayed on the floor, sobbing heavily. At that point, Cliffjumper sat down with him, and for the first time, Starscream crawled into his arms by his own will to be held for a long time.

There was finally meaning to the gesture he had once called meaningless. To be held made Starscream feel wanted by others. He gone down a violent road, chasing power so that others would adore him. Starscream had not realized that he had been pursuing love this entire time, and that the road to it had been much simpler than he had ever known.


	17. Farewell

Cliffjumper thought that leading Starscream elsewhere would help alleviate the stress of all that had happened. Once they were outside and far from the _Nemesis_, he calmed down as expected. Starscream went quiet and stroked himself, radiating relief and an air of peacefulness that Cliffjumper mistook to be acceptance of death.

"Do you want to depart with me to the Allspark?"

Starscream did not snap at him, but still there was a firmness in his voice.

"No… Not now. I can still interact with this world, so perhaps I ought to stay for a while."

"It isn't the same as living," Cliffjumper mumbled.

"I know." Starscream rested his chin onto his knees. "I did not wish to stay to entertain a dream. I thought that I might be able to help the others and make up for what I have done. Then… I will go when light shines upon their memory of me."

"I will wait for you, Starscream. Until you are ready."

Starscream turned his head to him. "Thank you."

"You know, that's what Skyquake did for Dreadwing," Cliffjumper said. "He wanted to wait for however long it would take until Dreadwing passed. Poor guy, Skyquake. I mean, he always grumbled to me how he hated you. But it was sad. Dreadwing believed Skyquake had already joined the Allspark, but Skyquake was always there. And then, Dreadwing died much sooner than anyone expected."

"They must have hated me."

"_Ohhh_ yes. So much. But it's alright, Starscream. Time goes on."

"I would have tried to do something if they were still alive."

Cliffjumper prodded him to lighten the mood. "There were a lot of grouchy vehicons too, after Autobots killed them."

"Does everyone leave so swiftly?" Starscream nearly interrupted, the question slipping out of him. Then, his expression dropped with melancholy.

"Usually," Cliffjumper replied slowly. "Yes… They feel the Allspark and want its comfort. Makeshift left quickly, all the vehicons, but Breakdown stayed for a little while. He wanted to watch everyone, but then… it hurt him too much to not be a part of anything anymore. He joined the Allspark just before the Autobot base was blown up."

"So he saw the human using his body."

"Yeah… That was horrifying for him too."

Starscream sighed, "It is fortunate that he did not see how I changed his corpse into an energon-sucking Terrorcon." Then he jolted. "Cliffjumper, you saw your animated… I am so sorry. It was my fault."

"Don't worry about it anymore," he repeated. "It's in the past."

"It must have been horrible to see yourself become that thing."

Cliffjumper pressed him casually, but when the sparks touched, Starscream could feel that Cliffjumper was truly not bothered anymore.

"Death is almost always horrible," Cliffjumper said. "Even you saw yourself in a terrible state."

Starscream sank down. "Did you ever see anyone else?"

"Let's see..." Cliffjumper looked up. "Insecticons? Very angry. Tried to keep attacking those that killed them."

"Hmm," Starscream replied. "Did you ever see Soundwave?"

"Soundwave? Nope. What makes you think he is dead?"

"Well, he has not been around. If he survived the final battle, and the Autobots did not imprison him… then where _is_ he? Had he escaped, he would have sought me and Shockwave. Soundwave certainly would have made an appearance now, doing all that he could to avenge Megatron and take over that warship."

"That is a fair point. But if Soundwave died, the Autobots would have mentioned it by now too, don't you think?"

"That is true." Starscream's eyes brightened with a growing idea. "Soundwave is probably alive, somewhere. On Earth? I don't know, but he is important to Megatron... Perhaps if I find him, I could make up for some of what I have done to Megatron."

"Now there's an idea!"

Starscream stood up. "One of those Autobots must have seen him during the fight. Maybe they have an idea of what happened to him?"

Cliffjumper nodded encouragingly.

"Hold on," Starscream gasped. "On Earth… On Earth, there are still hundreds of vehicon miners! They've been forgotten, but they are still in those mines, all recorded on the _Nemesis_. They are probably still alive, but they won't be once they run out of energon. With the _Nemesis_ back in the air, I could prompt the Autobots to pick them up and bring them here. I could make amends with the vehicons I haunted."

He started pacing with excitement.

"_And_ that would double the work force!"

"Look at you go," Cliffjumper laughed, "when you put your clever mind into doing some good."

Starscream halted and stared at him.

"What?" Cliffjumper blinked.

"I have just thought of something else I could do."

Cliffjumper waved at him. "Well, go on then and say it! I'm dying to know."

Starscream rubbed his hands together, then told him.

* * *

Starscream felt too embarrassed to appear before the Autobots as a whole so soon after terrorizing them. Yet if there was one of them he could go to, it was Arcee. He waited for the awkward hours to pass as everyone realized that Starscream's reign of terror was over and that life could resume. Unicron and the relics were locked up in the vault onboard. They sent the vehicons home and the Aerialbots with them, then flew the warship back and searched for any poor, new Cybertronians who might have been forged during the chaos. There was one, who they immediately passed on to the developing city of New Spark.

Then, the Decepticon refugees who had flown in earlier had needed some explaining. They had been hanging in Kaon and when no one showed up to lead them to work, they had lazed about smoking. The Autobots said that they encountered some "problems", but Starscream knew that vehicon gossip would eventually reach every bot on Cybertron. Overtime, the world would know of his power, but how he would be remembered might depend on what he did now.

Injuries were patched up, but Megatron was returned to the med bay to stay. Shockwave stuck around from Riplaw's plea for his scientific help, and the Predacons had apparently missed him. When they fell asleep, however, he walked around the _Nemesis_, stealing tools and supplies for himself by using the remote-control groundbridge.

Starscream had been waiting for the exhausted Autobots to go to sleep. Once they had, he bent over Arcee's body, grasped Cliffjumper's arm, then reached for her spark.

_Starscream's voice came into the dream._ "Arcee?"

_She turned and the scene faded to the dull grey of a normal Cybertronian environment. Regardless, it was a setting of blossoming joy when she saw Cliffjumper at Starscream's side._

"Hey, 'Cee." _Cliffjumper smiled and his eyes twinkled_. "Nice to finally say 'hi'."

"_Cliff?" she gasped. "Is that you?"_

_Starscream faded himself out of sight, but he was naturally still there in the fabric of the dreamscape, watching. There was no other way for Cliffjumper to be here otherwise, connected with his spark now as he was. Arcee bounded into Cliffjumper's arms, the words gushing out._

"_Are you real? Is it you?"_

"_It is, of course it is. I've been waiting," Cliffjumper answered. "But I couldn't talk to you until Starscream helped bring me here."_

"_Starscream?" Her voice grew sluggish. "Starscream brought you…"_

Both Starscream and Cliffjumper were expelled from the dream when Arcee became too aware.

"Scrap!" Starscream gasped.

He should have known better. How could a reunion and talk occur without Arcee becoming too conscious? Now, she sat up in the berth and blinked, looking around. There had to be something he could do for her, but others slept around Arcee, so he did not want to speak and wake them.

Near the door in the dim light, Arcee saw a silhouette and the glow of red eyes. The other day, this would have terrified her, and even now there was a prick of fear despite her trust in him. After the eye contact, however, the red lights turned to the side and the figure strolled through the door.

Arcee slipped out of the berth and padded into the hall after Starscream. Ahead, she could see him walking with almost the full colours and solidity of a living bot. Starscream glanced back, then kept moving on without making a sound. He found them an empty hall out of earshot, then turned to her.

"Cliffjumper is with me," Starscream murmured. "He has always been among us, even if you cannot perceive him."

"Right now?" Her eyes widened with emotion.

Starscream exhaled, understanding that joy and pain would come to these two, and that he was the cause of it all. He replied in a weak voice, "He is beside me."

Starscream tilted his head left to where Cliffjumper stood and clasped his hands tightly.

"If you wish to speak," Starscream concluded, "then I will tell you all that he says."

Immediately, she burst out, "Cliffjumper?"

Starscream glanced at Cliffjumper, hoping that he would say things to verify that it was him, that Starscream just wasn't fooling Arcee. In an instant, she might think Starscream was trying to be kind, but that Cliffjumper was not really there at all. Thankfully, the Autobot understood and nodded at Starscream.

Starscream stared at the empty air. "He says… he has another story for you."

It should have been expected that a free conversation between the two would have been long-winded. Cliffjumper rambled on, forcing Starscream to interpret countless sentences of random fun, but in the end, Starscream realized that it was better this way. It was not Cliffjumper's intention to be soppy, because that would just hurt Arcee, so he changed the direction and let them have this time together when neither had imagined they ever would again.

Starscream noticed how quickly he was forgotten despite being the interpreter, but he accepted it. Meekly lowering his head, he voiced the stories and the jokes, and he believed that Arcee heard Cliffjumper's voice although it was Starscream's own. The way she stared at the spot with such care almost made it seem like she could see him. Cliffjumper too seemed to have forgotten Starscream, staring into Arcee's eyes without any side glances at him.

_I am doing a good thing_, he thought, and yet, it hurt so much. Uniting them, Starscream now saw how pure a friendship could be and understood that he had never had this. Even he could not go to Knockout and expect this joy and love- this was the sort of thing that had to be built with time and kindness in life. Yet for the sake of Arcee and Cliffjumper, he swallowed back his pain and copied the chippiness of Cliffjumper's dialogue.

Starscream stood although he was exhausted, speaking through the hours. His eyes gazed past Arcee, unfocused, then he blinked when Cliffjumper asked a question, he interpreted it, but there followed silence.

"Do you think we could do this again?"

Starscream refocused and noticed both were looking at him.

"Hmm? Oh! Well, I don't see any reason why not. I will still be around for a bit longer…"

Arcee now regarded Starscream instead of the space beside him. "When will you go to the Allspark?"

He shrugged and murmured, "I wanted to stay until I could redeem myself. With my power, I could serve you."

Arcee answered gently, "If you wish to go, don't hold back."

"No, I want to stay. There are a few things I could do, but I will need your help."

"What is it?"

"For one, could you fly to Earth with the _Nemesis_? I recalled all the vehicons stranded there… The active mines are logged, so you can find them and bring them here."

"The miners… we forgot about them." She nodded quickly. "Yes, we can get on that in the morning. What else?"

"Do you, by any chance, have any idea of what has become of Soundwave?"

"Soundwave…" Arcee looked up as she thought. "I am not sure. I heard that the children took care of him."

"Those _humans_?" Starscream furrowed his brows. "And what exactly, did they do?"

Arcee shrugged. "To be honest, so much was going on that I forgot to ask, and then, I forgot entirely when we came home. Raf likely teleported him to the Arctic."

Starscream snorted. "Soundwave just would have teleported himself _back_. They must have done something else."

"So you want to find him? Well then, I could easily just ask them for you."

"Yes, thank you. I believe that Soundwave will support Megatron's choice and cease to be your enemy. But I wish to do this for Megatron, you see… It is the only thing I can give him."

"When we go to Earth, I'll get in touch with the children and find out for you."

Starscream thanked her again.

Arcee glanced back to Cliffjumper. "I missed talking to you, Cliff. And it means a lot to me just to know that you were there, that you could hear everything I said. I had always hoped that you could."

"And I can't wait to talk to you again, 'Cee," Cliffjumper, then Starscream, replied. "I'm glad that we could. Just this one time means everything to me."

Arcee said, "Thank you, Starscream."

Cliffjumper also thanked him, and to receive the credit warmed Starscream and let him know that they had not truly ignored him.

Everyone said their goodbyes, then Starscream vanished from sight at last, sighing when he could relax. He followed her into the hall, then rounded the corner to be surprised with her at the sight of Bumblebee and Smokescreen.

"Sorry!" Smokescreen stammered. "We heard the door open when you left…"

"Oh, so you were there the whole time?" she answered, but not with anger.

"We were," Bumblebee admitted. "When you started talking to Cliffjumper… I just could not leave. I knew it was him; I could hear him in the way he spoke… I missed him too."

"I couldn't tear myself away," Smokescreen sighed. "I never got to meet the guy, and I always wished I had gotten to know him like you guys. When I listened, I felt I got to know what he was like."

Arcee dropped tired shoulders and smiled at them. "Then perhaps, everyone should come next time. So we can all talk to him."

_To Cliffjumper, not me_, Starscream thought, but he felt content that he could do something for the Autobots.

* * *

When morning came, everyone gathered at the front apart from Megatron, who was resting. They had expected that something related to Starscream had happened, then found their instincts right when Arcee described her visit. Hearing about Cliffjumper made the other Autobots overjoyed, then everyone agreed to follow Starscream's suggestions.

The former Decepticons and Predacons went away so that they would not cause distraction, with Knockout to Megatron while the Predacons and Shockwave opted to leave. Starscream wondered if they would discuss cloning more Predacons, but he stayed with the Autobots unseen as they traveled to Earth. There, they contacted the humans then teleported the three to their location.

At the sight of them, Starscream grimaced in disgust.

"Humans aren't that bad, 'Screamer," Cliffjumper laughed.

"I will never like the vermin."

"Yesh, that's harsh, judging their race like that. Didn't you have that attitude about the Predacons before?"

Starscream glanced at him. "What makes you think that I like the Predacons now?"

Cliffjumper blinked. "But…"

"I am not going to kill them," Starscream muttered. "But I certainly do not like them."

Cliffjumper shuffled his feet. "I suppose that is good enough… Those three hurt you so much, and yet… I hope you don't despise the entire race. Ripclaw was so kind to you."

To his relief, Starscream nodded. "Yes… That Predacon is different than the others."

"She is still a Predacon," Cliffjumper said. "If there were more Predacons, maybe you would see that others could be just as naturally kind as her."

"Perhaps."

Starscream dropped the subject as the humans and Autobots got over their excitement and down to business.

Arcee looked to Raf and asked him, "We remember at the battle for the new Omega Lock, you had a plan to take care of Soundwave. We knew you succeeded, but we never learned what that plan was."

The young human explained that they had spawned another portal to transport Soundwave into another dimension. Once Starscream heard of this, he cried to Cliffjumper, "_What?_ He has been left in another dimension, where he can touch nothing at all- how inconsiderate _are_ these humans? He will die there, and Lazerbeak as well!"

The _Nemesis_ was currently on route to the nearest energon mine. Starscream quivered in desperation when he noticed that the Autobots had not realized the urgency. He wanted to appear and call out, but he imagined Miko getting excited about his spirit, being generally annoying as she tried to touch him and cried all kinds of questions.

_But we have to start searching for Soundwave now. Someone has to go after him… I will go._

Starscream went behind the door, solidified himself the best that he could, then pressed the button. He strolled inside and cleared his throat, trying the best he could to look like a living bot across the catwalk.

The humans snapped their heads back and the Autobots jolted behind them. Starscream tried to appear collected as though he belonged there, stifling his embarrassment to be back before them all so soon. All the blue eyes felt like they were burning him, so he rushed, "Send me into the alternate dimension. I can travel the fastest. I will find Soundwave."

Miko shouted, "What? What is _he_ doing here? Is he with you? When did this happen?"

_Shut up, shut up_. Starscream shot her a glare.

To see anger on the phantom's face made Bulkhead nervous. He hurried forward and blocked Miko's path with a hand just as she started to jog to Starscream in interest.

"Leave him be…" Bulkhead rumbled, but his worried tone made Jack glance back at Starscream. Something was not right; he could tell. For some reason, Starscream was here acting like an Autobot, but the others seemed afraid of him although they never had been in the past.

Arcee answered him, "Alright."

_I'm trusting you,_ Starscream replied through his gaze. _Don't trap me in that dimension, Autobot. _

Her eyes replied that he would be alright.

_Thank Primus they are Autobots_, he thought. They actually wanted to help Soundwave, and they would not imprison Starscream now even though it would guarantee their safety from him.

"We will open a portal every joor," Arcee said. "By the spacebridge. How does that sound?"

"Good, but we must get to it," Starscream uttered. "Soundwave needs energon, if it is not already too late."

Now the eyes of the Autobots widened as they finally understood the predicament.

Ultra Magnus stopped the ship and opened two portals outside so that everyone would be safe from its draw. Starscream exited the room as a living bot would, then was glad when the doors shut and the humans could not longer gawk at him. Then, he hurried outside and shot toward the portals that opened behind the ship.

A strange feeling gripped him the moment he flew through the third portal in the middle. As the spark entered another dimension, his body felt like living, angry static. His appearance blurred and fuzzed, screaming at the wrongness of being here. Starscream gasped and glanced at the portal, wondering if he would have to race back before he was destroyed.

However, he was not in pain and he was still intact. As uncomfortable as he felt, he would be fine. Starscream sighed, tapped his chin, and wondered where to start looking.

_What if he is on Cybertron instead of Earth?_ he worried. _No, probably not lying around on Cybertron. Maybe on the ship? Yes, he might have been here the whole time, watching everything transpire._

While Starscream zipped through the _Nemesis_ calling his name, he was amused. Starscream had been the unseen spirit, but he never imagined it possible that there could be someone else, invisible to even him. However, after he rushed through every room in the warship without finding Soundwave, Starscream was no longer amused and now only worried.

_Where do I look now?_

Starscream stood and tried to think of what Soundwave would do.

_Let's see… he would have been on the warship during the fight. He would have watched us, when Megatron died, and when the Autobots flew back to Cybertron. So maybe he did return to Cybertron to see what they would do… Oh but, why would he wander off the ship? Why not stay here?_

"Was there _really_ no way for him to connect with the warship? He couldn't have made two new portals for himself and walked out?"

_Those humans know about the dimension because they seem to have been in it. How did the Autobots find them? Did they contact them somehow?_

Starscream felt almost sure that Soundwave could have done something to get out. Maybe he already had and no one knew it- _no, if he were out, then he would have showed up by now! _

It did not add up. If the humans got out, that meant that they were somehow able to call for help. Now, there was no way that they were more creative than Soundwave. Soundwave _would_ have contacted them… if he could.

_What if… he did not follow the warship to Cybertron. If he was on Earth, then he would have been far from the warship… unable to create portals through the commands._

_Soundwave might have been… stranded here._

_Oh._

_Soundwave… went after Megatron's body. And then everyone flew away._

Starscream then grabbed himself in horror.

"Megatron fell into the ocean… If Soundwave is down there, I will _never_ be able to find him!"

_No, wait. If Soundwave was with Megatron, he should have seen Megatron rise again. He would have tried to follow him… But Megatron must have teleported or gone at a sonic speed to get to Cybertron as fast as he did. Soundwave would not have been able to keep up._

"So if not the ocean… then where?"

_Where would Soundwave go? Would he wait? Yes! He would want the warship to come back so he could try to use the commands to create portals. And the best place to find the warship would be the spacebridge!_

Starscream dashed up through the sky, harmlessly zipping through the atmosphere.

_But then… _ he thought as he flew. _Why wasn't Soundwave on board even though the warship just flew right through the spacebridge? If he were waiting, he should have seen…_

Dread filled his spark as he came closer to the currently quiet spacebridge on the dark side of the moon. If Soundwave was not around now, then this could mean that they were too late. Starscream did not want to think it, that Soundwave might just be lying dead somewhere because no one came back in time for him to save himself. Such news he did not want to return with.

Starscream anxiously looked around himself, afraid of what he would find. It did not take him long, flying over the dark side of the moon before he located a dark shape, lying over the surface to face the spacebridge.

_Soundwave… It's Soundwave…_

Starscream landed and knelt at his side. His fuzzy fingers waved over the dark visor, begging for a reaction. However, there was none. Soundwave was not aware of him and did not rise, just as he had not been aware of the spacebridge portal opening at last.

He had waited too long.

"No, come on." Starscream found himself choking. It was not just about losing his chance to make up with Megatron, but a feeling of personal loss within him. He had known Soundwave for so long and had never imagined him dead.

Starscream took his shoulders and shook him, but Soundwave flopped without stirring to life.

"You cannot be…"

Starscream tried to check his pulse, but he was unable to feel things even if he could touch them.

_Soundwave…_

He shook him again and called his name.

_He was not bad… Soundwave never really hurt me. He ratted me out to Megatron, but he was loyal. He was never cruel…_

"Soundwave."

_Maybe his spirit has already gone to the Allspark… It got out of here, leaving behind this-_

_No, Soundwave can't be…_

Soundwave still did not move; Lazerbeak lay immobile in his chest.

Starscream stopped shaking him and his arms fell limp at his sides.

_So this is it… Soundwave is dead. And now… I have to tell them._

He did not think he would have the strength to carry the body up to the spacebridge, so someone else would have to collect him. Starscream lay back and whined, forced now to wait for the portal to take him back. Although he felt no temperature, his spark felt chilled to lie with Soundwave's body and stare up toward the spacebridge he had watched until death.

It would not be too long, and when the portal back opened, he reluctantly soared through it and left Soundwave behind. Starscream was glad that the humans were gone, but it was ever the more difficult to make his report.

"Soundwave is… offline," he murmured. "I found his body on the moon, facing the spacebridge."

There was a slow and distraught inhale from the Autobots.

"No," Bumblebee whispered. "This is our fault, all our fault… We should have remembered him."

The horrified and grieved Autobots took it upon themselves to quickly retrieve his body. With Starscream's help, they shot portals closer and closer until Bulkhead came out right beside Soundwave. Then at last, the cold bot was collected, cradled like fragile bones in Bulkhead's arms back through the portal.

Ratchet hurried up to Bulkhead. "Let me see."

The doctor had been quiet during the report of Soundwave's death. Now, something bright remained in his eyes as he approached Soundwave, but Starscream did not realize it was hope at first. His scanner passed over Soundwave from head to feet and back, and Bulkhead murmured, "How long has he-"

"Soundwave is not dead!" Ratchet proclaimed. "He is in emergency stasis lock."

"What?" everyone gasped.

"He requires energon, now!"

All was understood. The Autobots stampeded toward the med bay, and while Ratchet ran into the room with Megatron, Bulkhead placed Soundwave down on a berth in the adjacent room. Soon after, Ratchet wheeled in two energon drips with Knockout trailing him and asking questions.

"What happened? Who was hurt-" Then, Knockout entered the room with him and saw. "Soundwave! Oh my, it's Soundwave!"

Ratchet stabbed the needle into Soundwave chest beside his neck, deciding that his arms were too thin. Then, he jabbed the other drip into Lazerbeak, so that now, a steady flow of energon trickled into their deprived bodies.

"There," Ratchet sighed, at last explaining, "Stasis lock is the natural last resort for energon-deprived bots to save energy. Soundwave would have only awoken on the verge of death to seek out energon, but he was otherwise waiting to be aided. He should come around soon."

Bumblebee added, "The vehicon miners need to be rescued, before they end up the same way."

Arcee snapped to attention, running back to pilot the ship to Earth and their next destination. Ultra Magnus walked out after her, but the other Autobots were too excited to see Soundwave recover, so they remained ringed around him.

At that time, Starscream stepped through the wall into Megatron's room. There was no one left guarding him, and Starscream noticed him clench up as he approached.

"What is happening?" Megatron rumbled, trying to hide his fear.

Before, Starscream had been delighted that Megatron had grown afraid of him. Now, however, guilt flooded him. Torturing Megatron had resolved most of the pain for all that Megatron had done to him, but Starscream did not want this distrust and hate to remain after he departed. Especially since Megatron could easily pass his feelings to future generations of Cybertronians so that everyone would be _glad_ when Starscream was gone.

"I am not here to hurt you," Starscream murmured, flashing his eyes to the side. "I swear to you… I came to make amends."

Megatron blinked back.

"I found Soundwave for you," he carried on softly. "He was trapped in another dimension, almost starved to death. I rescued him. He is in the room beside yours… I hope, I was hoping that… it would please you…"

"Thank you, Starscream."

Starscream nervously glanced back at him then noticed genuine gratitude on his face. Never in his time as a Decepticon had he done something for Megatron that had made him look so relieved. Sometimes, a devious plan made him grin, but this was sparkfelt. Megatron's face was soft like a normal bot's, and not at all like a tyrant's or even a former tyrant's.

Like one of the Autobot's.

Megatron sat up and swung his legs over the berth. Starscream gasped as Megatron set himself on his injured legs and limped forward, grabbing everything that he could. Hugging the wall, he fought for every inch until he made it to the adjacent room. His appearance startled the Autobots, but they made a path for him when they realized what he had come for.

Soundwave was just coming to. Lazerbeak had recovered first and popped out of his chest to now wait and lie over him with wings outstretched. Already, Soundwave's fingers and legs were twitching; Megatron stepped away from the door and immediately crumpled. Starscream stared when Bulkhead caught him, then allowed Megatron to lean against him to get to Soundwave's berth.

_By the Allspark… _Starscream thought while watching them.

Soundwave lifted his head, and Starscream disappeared in a flash. His wings dropped down as Soundwave sat up, glancing around with groggy turns of his head. He noticed Megatron, then the energon drip, then Megatron again and his different appearance. The way he jolted indicated that he was surprised and gaining consciousness. Now, he turned his head and took in all the Autobots and Knockout staring at him.

Starscream shook and watched Megatron reassure Soundwave that he was alright now. Then, a hand fell over Starscream's shoulder- a warm one that he could feel. Cliffjumper, who he had forgotten was there, now murmured to him, "'Scream, what's wrong?"

Holding onto his own arm, Starscream choked, "I swear that I am happy for them. I swear, I really am-"

"Okay, okay, I believe you. But… no, what is upsetting you then?"

"Just… seeing them. It is like Megatron is just one of them now, an Autobot. And everyone is so happy for Soundwave, even though he has not done anything for them yet…"

"Oh, Starscream…" Cliffjumper started to understand before he said it.

"I want to be on that berth, Cliffjumper," Starscream whispered. "I want them to take care of me like that. But I don't ever think any of them would have been so happy to have rescued me. Look at Megatron… He never… would have cared about me like that. I know I was not loyal, but… but there is no one who would have…"

Cliffjumper turned him away and hugged him to his chest. He wanted to say his usual words of comfort, that everything would be okay and that time moved on and bots forgave… but none of those words fit this situation because Starscream was right. He had no one who would have loved him like this, thus Cliffjumper felt incredibly sorry for Starscream. Because even though Starscream felt that these arms wanted to comfort him, as a bot, Starscream was not loved or even liked by Cliffjumper.

And while touching Cliffjumper's spark, Starscream could also hear his thoughts, although Cliffjumper had not meant to share them.

_He needs to join the Allspark. Clinging to this life will bring him too much pain, and he needs a new one so that he can finally experience this._

Starscream shot away from him, feeling as though his spark was being torn in all directions now by emotions.

"No!" he cried. "That is not fair- I cannot leave. I cannot have lived my entire life and then disappear forever, without this life ever experiencing _that_."

He pointed back at the celebration without looking. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew that there was no helping it. Like he had realized at Cliffjumper and Arcee's reunion, true friendship was built over a long time and many bonding memories. Starscream felt sure that because of his past and his reign of terror as a spirit, no one would be willing to develop a relationship with him. And a spirit could not be cared for like Soundwave. No one could fuss over his health, worry if he was hurt, and if someone even wanted to hug Starscream again… he would never feel their touch.

Cliffjumper's eyes were round in concern when Starscream went dead silent.

"Fine…" he murmured.

"What?" Cliffjumper said.

Starscream squeezed his eyes shut as more misty tears sprang from the corners.

"I said _fine_. I will go to the Allspark with you, Cliffjumper. I can see that I will never be happy here! This life is doomed to misery, and there is nothing I can do. I just want to know what happiness is. I will forget how I suffered and all the bad that I did in the Allspark. I do not want to be Starscream anymore."

Starscream snapped away; Cliffjumper grabbed him.

"Now? But Starscream, if you are sure, don't you want to say goodbye?"

"To whom? They essentially said their farewells the other day and urged me to join the Allspark. 'For my own good'. They do not _want _me here. And… what does it matter if I am remembered favourably or not? In the next life that I may have, I will not care anymore about Starscream! I should not care now when I will just forget someday."

"Everyone just wants you to find peace now," Cliffjumper murmured. "I see that you are very upset… and I don't want to hurt you by saying this, but maybe it is best that you join the Allspark. This suffering is too much for any spark to bear."

Starscream could not answer.

"I will be right beside you."

Then, Starscream murmured. "You need to say goodbye."

Cliffjumper paused.

"I am going." Starscream spun to face him. "But not right now. I will help you say goodbye, and then we will go."

Cliffjumper gasped, and then his face flooded with emotion. He dove into Starscream and squeezed him.

"Thank you, Starscream, thank you so much…"

Starscream was quiet again.

"You know." Cliffjumper patted his back. "You… _are_ good, Starscream, and I think the others will know it now. I think you will be remembered in a good way."

The pain in his spark eased a little when Cliffjumper said this. Starscream's shoulders sank and he sighed, "I suppose it would not be fair to rush you just after swearing that you could meet with the others. You need more time to say all that you wish to. So, perhaps… five more meetings? Ten?"

"Wow, thank you, 'Scream. That is very nice of you, but ten might be too much for you. Five works. That will be plenty of time."

Starscream flicked his eyes back to Megatron and Soundwave, felt the clenching of his spark, then padded away. It would be hard to survive several more days with this decision weighing over him, the fear of finality and the unknown. Had it not been for Cliffjumper, he would have already dashed to the Well of Allsparks and thrown himself in to spare himself from the agony.

"Where are you going?" Cliffjumper followed in behind him.

"I want to see a few things again…" Starscream looked to the ceiling. "Although… I suppose there is no point, is there? Since I will ultimately forget."

"Let's go look," Cliffjumper cut in with enthusiasm.

Starscream shrugged and peeked behind them down the hall. Cliffjumper saw him frown when he saw no one searching for him after he had left.

"Well, if you don't mind me coming with," added Cliffjumper.

Starscream gave no answer, but he had not shoved him away. In the end, they travelled to the ruins of Vos and sat in the ashes, watching the shifting light. There, Cliffjumper stayed respectfully silent while Starscream drowned in memories.

* * *

All the vehicons on Earth had been happily returned to Cybertron, where they joined their brethren. The Autobots had tried to inform them that this had been Starscream's idea, but the vehicons had not truly listened, or perhaps, they had not been able to believe it. This disappointment was forgotten at least, in the distraction of Starscream's visitors and the Cliffjumper meeting hours.

The first visitors had been the four Predacons, who asked the Autobots if Starscream was still here. Smokescreen had replied, "Oh, he's probably hanging around here somewhere, I'm sure."

Since Starscream had seen the Predacons and followed them, he had been standing in the room unseen. After Smokescreen's words, Starscream faded into sight and unintentionally made them jump out of their metal.

"Starscream," Predaking rumbled after settling down.

The events of his capture and the _after_ made Starscream tingle with embarrassment. Already, he regretted showing himself. He did not know how to greet Predaking back, since it felt unnatural to be polite to one's brutal murderer. There was no summoning up the energy even for insincere politeness, but Starscream wanted to know what they had come to say.

Predaking said, "Again, I only wish I could make up for what I have done."

Starscream glanced away and thought, _So they are just here to apologize again? _

Predaking noticed his expression and asked, "Are you well today, Starscream?"

He would have scoffed if he had the strength to. Instead, Starscream muttered, "I am fine."

Cliffjumper stared at him with wrinkled brows. "Don't you want to tell them the truth?"

_No_, Starscream thought. _I don't want a repeat of what happened last time. I don't want to even think about it; I cannot bear the pain again._

"Well, Starscream," Ripclaw said, knowing that it was hard for the others to ask. "We know you want to stay around, so perhaps we could spend some time together and get to know each other. And since you can interact with things, we could try to help you feel like things have gone back to normal."

Starscream stared at them until Darksteel shifted in discomfort. Then, he said, "So, you would like me to pretend to be alive."

That was the idea, but they did not understand why he had said it with what sounded like bitterness.

"I am sorry," Predaking replied. "I thought it was what you wanted. We did not mean to offend you."

Ripclaw was perplexed. "Did you not want to stay so that you could continue being yourself here? Since you can be seen, heard, and touch things… you have a unique ability. You can be a special sort of bot that no one can hurt."

Cliffjumper murmured, "Tell them that you are leaving, Starscream."

_They will argue with me. _

Starscream could still see all the marks he had inflicted on Predaking. Internally he sighed, then faded out of sight. As the Predacons gasped, Cliffjumper scolded him.

"What are you doing?"

Starscream murmured, "I don't want to get into this."

"What? They are trying to be nice to you-"

"They want to become friends with me."

"And that's _bad_?" Cliffjumper asked.

_It is. It is because it is painful and I am leaving soon._

Starscream sighed, "Could you for once… cease arguing with me?"

With wings down and body slumped, Starscream truly looked defeated. Cliffjumper regretted pushing him again, for sometimes it was hard to understand that Starscream's needs were different than his. Autobots often frowned upon selfishness to the point that self-interest was put into the shade. Yet Starscream's self-interest was not evil, it was just to protect himself.

The Predacons looked for him and called, but there was no response. Cliffjumper would never have left them, for they seemed distraught at Starscream's abrupt disappearance.

"I do not understand how you do it," Starscream later told Cliffjumper. "You interact with me as though I have done nothing to you. Since those Predacons revealed the truth of that night, I do not know how I should treat them. It seems impossible that anyone could become friends with someone who had done something so horrible you... even if it was an accident. No one should be able to look back and joke that such a thing had happened. It would always be there, lingering in our minds in every interaction."

"I don't think that's true. I mean, right now you might think that forgiveness is impossible because what happened is so fresh on your mind. However, I think a big part of forgiveness is just forgetting. If you had been around as long as me, you would forget how painful that night had been. It would be easier to stop hating them."

"I would have needed a lot of time," Starscream replied. "Away from them, as well."

_It is hard to look at their hands. It must have been that way for you too_. Starscream put his now behind his back.

Starscream decided not to speak to the Predacons again before his passing to the Allspark, for he did not wish to say goodbye to them. He imagined guilt-torn faces, who would beg for him to stay only so they would not feel the depth of his absence and how they had stolen a life.

More meetings with Cliffjumper had been arranged, and that very night, the fourth one was completed. At the end of it, Starscream finally revealed to the Autobots that Cliffjumper would be leaving after the fifth meeting. They would have the time to prepare all that they wanted to say to Cliffjumper before then.

"Starscream, you aren't going to tell them that you are going too?" Cliffjumper murmured as everyone reacted with sorrow to the news.

Starscream shook his head. He did not want to see their emotions, which he imagined would be either encouragement or relief. To see others agree that this was the best for him would upset him, for he hated that it was the truth. To see others happy that the dangerous spirit was leaving hurt him more, since Starscream wished they wanted him.

_I should tell one of them, at least, or else they will keep looking for me. Arcee?_ No, she had wanted him to leave before, so Starscream did not want to see her encouraging, blue eyes. Besides, her mourning of Cliffjumper would drown out her feelings for him. _Someone else… Knockout?_

Starscream almost decided it, then realized that Knockout had looked so relieved when Starscream had been caught in the trap. His facial expression had said how much he had wanted Starscream to be destroyed. While Starscream had haunted them, it still wounded him that Knockout had wanted him to be exterminated.

_Megatron moved; he wanted to help me… _Starscream shook his head. _Now I am being too desperate. Megatron never cared about me, or else he would not have tortured me. He only moved out of instinct, since I was begging like I did in the past…_

_But he looked sad to see me in that trap-_

_He obviously does not care about me! Not like Soundwave, _not _like Soundwave. I am only thinking this because I wish that someone would care for me like that. However, no one does. This is wishful thinking._

Starscream did not sigh, for Cliffjumper never left his side these days, and the Autobot would have asked him if he was alright.

_Well, if I have to tell them, then Megatron should be a good choice. I do not believe he would encourage my decision, since he is not a spiritual bot focused on mental well-being. And after all that has happened, he will not hate me and want to be rid of me. I am sure he would tolerate me if I stayed, so he could be the impartial figure I need._

Jetfire had come looking for Starscream, but the Autobots had told him that Starscream had not been responding when called for.

"But is he still here?"

"He is," Bumblebee had said. "Although there is no telling if he is _here_ right now, he has just not gone to the Allspark yet."

Yet, yet indeed. Starscream looked at their faces and thought how strange it was that he was going to forget them. The bitterness and sadness would wash away, but if only that could have happened without his very self washing away with them.

* * *

Cliffjumper was mentally preparing himself for his last meeting, and although he had sworn he was ready for the Allspark, finding all the words was stressing him. He did not want to forget a single thing or leave his friends in too much pain.

"This doesn't feel real," Cliffjumper had sighed. "That I am here right now, and then I will soon be gone. Preparing for my goodbye is making me overthink it."

"I understand. We cannot conceptualize forgetting everything."

"Right, all these things we see right now, all the bots we know- they will all be new to us in the next life."

"If there is a next life," Starscream murmured.

"Even if there is none," Cliffjumper said, "we know that the Allspark is full of knowledge. At least that part is clear in our history. They say that all the memories of old sparks stay there, so if we are stuck there, then at least we can live thousands or millions of other lives. It would be nice to experience things I never have before."

"Like what?" Starscream asked.

"Hmm, like flight?"

"You can fly right now," he pointed out.

"No, it isn't the same, and you said that too. I mean, what would it be like to transform into something with wings and blast through the air? Is it cold because the sky is cold, or warm because my body is working? How is turbulence? It seems frightening to a ground bot like me, but it might be fun."

Cliffjumper was glad to see that Starscream had taken interest and smiled slightly.

"Haven't you ever wondered what driving feels like, 'Scream?"

"I suppose I did, although I had always thought flight was the superior mode of transportation."

"I bet you wondered why we were so crazy about it."

"Personally, I wondered about Knockout, since we could have changed him with our technology and _yet_, the stubborn bot still chose driving."

"I hope you are reborn as a ground bot," Cliffjumper jested. "You will understand then."

Starscream chuckled.

"I'll explain it," Cliffjumper went on.

Starscream's smile faded. "There is no point, Cliffjumper. I will forget this."

"Oh, come on. Let this life have a little fun before you go!" Cliffjumper grinned. "What kind of attitude is that? If you got another life, imagine if you were like 'oh no, there's no point in learning anything or having any fun because I'm just gonna forget it all when I die'."

Teasing Starscream made the two of them feel better.

"Fine then," Starscream gave in. "Tell me what is so attractive about driving."

"Alright! Well see, I always felt so safe and snug against Cybertron, close to home. I loved the feel of familiar land underneath me. Then, there was action too- racing through the mazes of streets, swerving and eating up the distance. There is nothing like knowing a place and using that knowledge to best someone in a race. It's exhilarating!"

"Aren't you afraid you will crash?"

"Oh no, when you're a master at it, you just feel better for conquering death. Don't you feel that way too, zipping around blasts in the air?"

"Yes, I do. However, I understand all that you are saying because I had the same experiences in flight. Since flying is fastest and you can easily escape or get anywhere you wish, I do not understand why anyone would prefer the ground. The sky is freedom; the ground is binding."

Cliffjumper replied, "Well, for us the sky is cold and the ground is home. It looks lonely up there, and dangerous. Crashing on the ground is one thing, but if something happened to you up there- that's the end of it."

Starscream had never imagined the sky as a cold and distant place before. He turned his head in consideration.

Cliffjumper continued, "It would be cool to go anywhere you wanted, like, if I wanted to be on top of a building, I could just be there in seconds. But the sky just feels so empty! You aren't attached to anything. It seems lonely."

"It isn't lonely… usually," Starscream sighed. "But now that you say it, I think I did feel lonely when by myself. Seekers always flied with others, and I felt happier when I had vehicons backing me, after my lieutenants died. It was more than just wanting back-up… Did you never feel lonely, driving alone?"

"Oh, no," Cliffjumper replied. "It's relaxing, like meditation. Especially on a long road on your way home, the sunset warm on your metal…"

"I used to fly alone to clear my mind," Starscream said. "But not for long. Even though I often longed for the sky, returning to solid ground was a comfort for me."

"Everyone wants a home."

"Although," Starscream laughed softly as he thought of something. "Underground, I could never do. Or if I was inside a building or the _Nemesis _for too long. Even if there are tunnels or halls I can fly through, I feel trapped if I am closed off from the sky."

"Right," Cliffjumper understood. "You are used to a lot of room and options for getting away. The removal of 'up' scares your kind."

Starscream's eyes glinted with a bit of pride. "Megatron never felt that way, since he was made into a flier. He did not have the instinct and was not bothered by tunnels or the inside. However, all Seekers hate restraint."

"I remember when Team Prime put a clamp around your wings!" Cliffjumper laughed. "You looked so peeved the moment it locked."

"Well of _course_."

Cliffjumper chuckled and held out his hand. "Well, 'Scream, if you want to know what it's like to have tires instead of wings, I can show you."

Starscream grasped him to be pulled into that sunset memory Cliffjumper had described.

_Countless drives had pounded the feel of the terrain into his body until even Earth felt like home. The grain of gravel undertire rumbled into his frame, as warm as the summer air. He already knew how the wind would feel over his body before he made that turn up ahead. Then, it was one straight road to the base, and while driving it, he felt like a part of both the way home and home itself._

"What did you think?" Cliffjumper asked.

Starscream had emerged from the memory with a dreamy look on his face.

"It was as nice as you described it."

"So you wouldn't mind being forged like one of us?"

"I could be happy like that," Starscream said. "But right now, I would never give up my wings for tires. I could not go against my instincts."

"I hope I cheered you up a bit. Although you are going, your life as Starscream right now is not meaningless. I am going to have a great time with my friends before I go, and I am going to enjoy every second even if I forget it!"

Before they would go, Starscream extended his hand to him. "Wait, Cliffjumper. Would you perhaps… like to see what flying is like?"

* * *

At Cliffjumper's final meeting, no one learned that Starscream was departing. It was a time reserved for Cliffjumper and only Cliffjumper, while Starscream kept his plans between them.

_I will tell Megatron in his sleep,_ he had said. _We will depart around midnight._

The Autobots tried their best to be cheerful, since Cliffjumper did not want to see them frown or cry. However, as they neared the end of their arranged time, the Autobots began to get emotional. Thankfully, the strong figure of Ultra Magnus was there to hold them together, since even Cliffjumper was struggling invisibly beside Starscream. They needed a logical voice to say that all would be alright, when even Ratchet, who had known Cliffjumper well, was affected at the prospect of losing him again.

It was another bonus that Starscream was speaking for Cliffjumper, so that the Autobots did not have to hear Cliffjumper's distress themselves. And Starscream tried to use his powers of deception, to hide his own feelings and appear collected so that Cliffjumper sounded stronger than he really was. Nevertheless, Starscream felt sorrow in himself from all these bots mourning and promising to miss their friend, which was something he would never get.

"I love you all," Cliffjumper murmured, Starscream repeating him more steadily. "Goodbye, and let's hope for a second life where we can all be friends again."

Starscream felt like his spark had cracked at those words.

_Yes, if only we could live again and regain everything we had lost… _

It was supposed to be easier for them, since they had time now to say goodbye- closure instead of sudden loss. At the time, everyone looked all the worse for it. Cliffjumper shook and sobbed out of their sight after Starscream had concluded. This made Starscream jump, since for so long, Cliffjumper had been the reassuring and calm one. Now, he needed someone to step into that role temporarily.

"I… believe that they will be alright," Starscream told him. "It is hard right now, but they will realize that you will be happy."

Cliffjumper sighed and stilled. "Thanks, 'Scream. You're right. We'll be just fine."

_We._

For once, Starscream did not feel sad about his departure.

_Yes, we will be alright._

Now, it was time for Starscream. As Megatron was still injured, he was often resting out of boredom. In the med bay, Soundwave watched over him like a new guard, seeming not to trust Starscream after he had heard all about him. Knockout was also there, but he was focused on himself, no longer clutching a weapon and fearing the coming of a vengeful ghost. It was almost as if he had forgotten Megatron as he stood, twisting and grunting to reach a spot with his buffer.

Starscream breathed a laugh. Once he had been furious that life was going on without him, but it was nice to see the return of peace. Knockout was content just being himself, although nothing ever lasted forever. Some day, Knockout wouldn't be here, but making his journey to the Allspark. Yet for as long as he lived, it was beautiful that he was enjoying every moment.

_If only we could have been friends._

Before Starscream reached into Megatron's chest, he thought, _I guess since I chose to do a dream, it did not matter who I came to. No one will have time to argue with me... but I suppose it is only fitting that I return to you._

He entered Megatron's dream and knew that he would have to be swift before he woke him.

_Megatron saw the figure approaching him, and the countless years of glaring and grabbing had made Megatron completely familiar with the points and curves of Starscream. Even through thick fog and a great distance, Megatron could have growled to someone, "Starscream is coming". So he knew even before the shape had all its colours that it was him._

"Megatron." _Starscream spoke with calm. His eyes were tranquil in red, no longer rageful with murderous purple. _"I am leaving now."

_Dream-Megatron did not grasp the situation yet, but would once he woke. _

"_And where is it, that you are leaving for?"_

"The Allspark, Megatron. Please tell the others that I am going now, with Cliffjumper."

"_What?"_

_The dreamscape began to become unsteady._

"And tell the Predacons to forget about me. Everyone can; I will be fine."

Starscream pulled out of the dream, backing away and watching Megatron shift and grumble in his sleep. Then, Megatron's eyes snapped open and he shoved himself up into a seated position. The others started, watching him and waiting for an explanation.

"Starscream," Megatron began. "He visited me…"

But by then, Starscream had grasped onto Cliffjumper's arm to leave the living to their own affairs. He felt pulled through space, saw blackness, then reappeared with the other spirit at the edge of the Well of Allsparks.

"What just happened?" Starscream gasped. "That teleportation, which you have done before…"

"Ah," Cliffjumper chuckled. "You never figured it out because you always rejected the pull of the Allspark. Do you feel it now?"

Starscream went quiet and relaxed, then realized that he could feel a gentle tugging in the direction of the Well.

"I know we can travel at the speed of light," Cliffjumper explained. "But imagine if you're a bot who died thousands of lightyears away. You'd still be travelling with nothing to do for all that time. Fortunately, this dimension is different. No matter how far away you are, you can hop right over to the Allspark."

"I do not follow."

"Imagine something soft, like Earth cloth. That is space. Now imagine you folded that cloth up"- Cliffjumper moved his finger in a wavy motion- "you could press a needle right through the whole thing to get to the other side. We are that needle, able to pass through the layers."

"I see."

Cliffjumper turned to him. "Are you truly ready, 'Scream? You can turn back now if you want more time. No one has to know."

Starscream shook his head. "I am ready."

They peered into the hole.

"How about on three? No _go_, just on _three_."

Starscream huffed in amusement.

"Fine," he agreed.

"Alright, 'Scream. One…"

_This is happening._

Cliffjumper left long pauses, looking at Starscream's face as the other spark stared into the hole. He gave him every opportunity to turn back.

"Two…"

Starscream's spark pulsed with the numbers.

_Am I really ready? I am afraid, but I have to do this… I will be fine. I will be happy again…_

Cliffjumper held onto his arm.

_Or for the first time._

"Three."

They leapt down and dropped, but not from the strength of gravity. The two sparks travelled together, bonded by touch and dragged lower as they gave in to the pull of the Allspark. And the further they descended, the stronger the draw was. However, the pressure was not frightening like the pull of the energon trap had been for Starscream. It was comforting, like being yanked into an embrace.

_I forgive you, Starscream, _Cliffjumper told him through thought. _I learned about you by watching your life. I wish I could have learned more._

Starscream thought back, _I hope that we are reborn, and that we can be friends in the next life, Cliffjumper. _

A faint, blue glow warmed the walls of the tunnels, and it was a light that they could feel like cotton over their tired sparks. Falling closer, the light grew stronger, reaching for them and welcoming them with equal love. Starscream and Cliffjumper relaxed, no longer feeling the need to see anymore. They listened to the soft voices that they had begun to hear, to words they could not yet make out but knew were friendly.

_The Allspark was never something to fear, _Starscream realized.

Their sparks felt warmer, and they let out final sighs.

_Goodbye, Starscream._

_Goodbye, Cliffjumper._

He felt Cliffjumper shift away from him as the light accepted him, but just as Starscream felt it embracing him, he thought, _If only though, I could have made Starscream a better bot. I hope this life can be used as a lesson, something I can remember instinctively to live a better life if I get another…_

A blinding, white light surrounded him. Starscream looked through it and listened for voices, but they had gone silent. Then, he found that he could look no longer, for his eyes were stinging from the brightness.

_Why does this hurt? _he panicked. _What is happening?_

Starscream felt himself rising away from the warm feeling.

_No! Why am I going upward? Am I being rejected? Am I still tainted by Unicron?_

Then, it dawned upon Starscream that he had felt pain, true pain, and not in his whole body but in a specific spot.

"Cliffjumper?" he called.

There was no response as a beam of light exited the Well of Allsparks.


	18. The Spark of the Unwanted

**I split the ending into an epilogue for itself.**

* * *

A sparkbeat quivered under his fingertips. Starscream's legs shifted over the ground as he pressed harder into his neck, cornering the flutter of life. With a gasp, he wrapped his hands gently around his throat, half-feeling for the pulse and half-hugging himself. Then he ran his hands over everything, along every limb and surface he could reach, and he choked in realization that everything was the same. All that he lacked was his red missiles and Decepticon insignia, but his body was his, one and whole.

The flood of feelings rooted him to the spot. After the light from the Well had faded, Starscream still sat to feel his real, warm body. Through so much emotion, it was even difficult to think, but Starscream realized that he could remember everything. Flashes of his past lit up his mind to comfort him: days of his youth training to be a Seeker, and the bad memories equally cheered him- memories of war, of Megatron, and of the Predacons. Just to have his past made him overjoyed, for he was still _him_.

He was Starscream to the core, not a spark that shed the identity to wear another. At this moment, he felt euphoric, but soon the feeling would be replaced. The light from the Well had been seen; Starscream broke out of his reverie when he heard the rumble of vehicles leaving the _Nemesis_.

Starscream snapped his head back and saw Autobots driving toward him. He was alive again, now in _their_ world, the world of imprisonment and pain. He hopped up and wobbled, wondering if the Autobots would be so terrified of him that they would lock him away.

_They wouldn't…_ Starscream told himself, remembering the time he had taken to make it up to the Autobots. He had tried to be useful and act peaceful, and yet, being alive was such a shock that Starscream was crushed with fear. There was no turning invisible now or zipping away as fast as light.

_They could capture me._

He did not want to make a mistake now with his precious life. Starscream jerked one way then another, knowing that if he ran, he would not be hurt and he would have freedom. That was a certainty, but staying meant a chance of-

_No more hesitation!_ his spark screamed. Starscream transformed and blasted off before he fully understood why he reacted. Then it became clear: hesitation had been the death of him before, when he had believed the Predacons would have mercy. He burned the fresh energon within him to put on more speed, and he spiraled into the clouds for cover.

The moisture ran over his wings with a refreshing touch. Nostalgia swept over his fearful spark, letting him have some joy in this mad flight. Once he was far away, he settled down in an abandoned building. Starscream knelt over the floor and scratched the dust, affirming that he was here, before he collapsed and stared at the stars through a hole.

"I live," he whispered. It almost felt like he had never been a spirit, as though he had successfully just escaped the Predacons. He squeezed his knees, promising silently that he would not let harm come to this body. Then the silence dragged on, and after an hour of holding himself, Starscream became more aware.

_Cliffjumper!_

His eyes rounded with sadness. Cliffjumper had joined the Allspark while Starscream had not, but it did not seem fair now that only he was special. He wanted Cliffjumper here more than ever to share this joy with him, but he was gone now and more distant than those stars. His spark ached with Arcee's pain, then with the added grief that he had caused this. Starscream missed him so terribly that his wings crashed to the floor and he forgot to be happy.

Starscream sat long in exhaustion, peering at the sky through the hole above. As he did, there was a snap of a wing beat. He jolted and a squeak caught in his throat. Before he heard the flap repeat itself, he was quaking. His eyes scanned for exits, knowing that the one in the ceiling was about to be covered.

Predaking landed over the roof and stretched out his neck to peer through the hole. A fanged face filled the view, spotting Starscream just as he tore out a side hole. The jet passed so close that Predaking felt the heat of his trail, and too afraid to scream, Starscream silently pelted away into the sky.

Part of Starscream understood that Predaking did not want to hurt him, but the sight of the Predacon brought upon trauma that a ghost could not feel. When untouchable, Starscream could only hate the Predacons, not fear them. Now, he felt his vulnerability anew and the rumble underfoot from the movements of the great beast. He saw claws and teeth which were not past objects of hate, but now possible future bringers of pain.

Starscream rushed away and found a new hiding spot once he had gained some distance. Yet he knew that Predaking was tracking him, so it was only a matter of time before he returned. A shiver ran down his back. Starscream did not want to run and knew that going back was the logical thing to do, but he just could not control himself.

He wanted someone, but he could not think of anyone to go to that did not spark a degree of fear. What if the Autobots voted to imprison him? What if Shockwave wanted to experiment on him? What if Knockout turned him in? Maybe Megatron would want to hurt him for what he did… if Soundwave did not first on Megatron's behalf.

Starscream thought of the Aerialbots and hung his head in shame. He had done nothing to make up for harming them, so his fellow Seekers would certainly shun him and turn him in as well.

Ripclaw would have been the best choice, if he was not so terrified of the Predacon hunting him now. Starscream remembered her beast form and how it would compare to him. Of course she did not want to hurt him and never had, but the trauma affecting him made it impossible to separate her from the other Predacons.

Starscream gripped himself tighter to make up for the fact that no one was comforting him.

He did not know what to do, thus ended up resting in spot until he heard the distant flap of wings. It did not come closer this time, and Starscream heard the sound of multiple transformations then Predaking's voice.

"Starscream? It is alright, Starscream. We have not come to harm you."

A voice relaxed him a bit, for it took away from the Predaconness. He glanced out of the building and saw all four Predacons staring toward him. They were still so large- he ducked back inside and held his hand over his chest.

He heard Ripclaw calling gently. Then, her slow footsteps crunching and her claws digging into metal as she climbed up toward him. Starscream stood on the verge of fleeing, but the soothing voice kept reassuring him. Ripclaw squeezed into the room and knelt on both knees so that she would be shorter.

"I do not want to scare you," Ripclaw murmured, noticing how his eyes watched her claws instead of her face. "I know it is frightening, being among us again. You do not want to be hurt."

She beckoned him to come closer, then opened her arms. Starscream did not move, but at least his wings had relaxed slightly.

"Come back to the ship," Ripclaw murmured. "They want to welcome you."

Starscream breathed, "Me?"

"Yes, they will forgive you, Starscream. They will not do anything to you."

Ripclaw chanced a step closer, but he did not dash out. Starscream seemed more calm, so she stepped closer again. That was the limit. He hopped outside, transformed, and flew high over the heads of the other Predacons. This time, however, in the direction of the warship.

_She is not lying_, he knew. Nevertheless, he wondered if she had misjudged the Autobots. Who would want him back, even if he had never demonstrated his power? Starscream got far ahead of the Predacons and landed in front of the _Nemesis_ where it lay. It seemed the Autobots had waited been waiting and counting on the Predacons, for at once, they poured out. Then even before they were close, his foot fell back at the sight of their numbers. Worst of all, Soundwave and Shockwave were among them, the faceless bots conveying some disturbing emotions.

Soundwave did not trust him; he inclined forward and watched him intently. The red orb of Shockwave's eye studied him, and Starscream imagined that he was thinking of opening up his chest to experiment on his spark. As he passed his eyes over the group, his wings pressed inwards. At least they understood his nervousness, and stopped to allow him some distance.

"Starscream," Arcee said. In truth, he felt somewhat better that she was speaking first instead of Ultra Magnus or Bumblebee.

"I did not know this would happen," Starscream murmured. "I thought…"

"It's fine. Now that you're back, let's try to figure out what happens now."

He closed his eyes and nodded again, throat tight.

To not be too direct, Arcee asked him, "Are you happy to be back?"

"... I don't know yet."

"We're not going to do anything to you, Starscream. If you want, we will allow you to do the same thing as Megatron and the others. You can live peacefully among us and help in reconstruction."

Starscream remembered his fierce jealousy when he saw Megatron live his embarrassing, new life. He still wanted it, but he felt dragged to the ground just by seeing the looks on everyone's faces. Even Arcee had stiffness in her expression, cautiously working her words because no one wanted Starscream on the loose.

Ultra Magnus and Ratchet glared at him in outright disgust, but the other Autobots were, Starscream realized, just afraid of him.

_I was right. No one really wants me here… I am not truly being welcomed, just managed._

Quietly, Starscream agreed to live however they wished. First, he hesitated, then he trudged into the _Nemesis_ to settle in.

* * *

They gave him time to be alone, or rather, time for themselves to accept his presence. Starscream shut himself in his original room and crawled over his berth. There, he anxiously dug his claws into the metal, unaware of the damage he was causing. Later, a knock came at the door, and he leapt up in alarm.

Starscream crept closer. "Who is there?"

"Me," came Knockout's muffled call.

Starscream opened the door, and saw that he was alone.

"You left Megatron to see me?" Starscream murmured.

"Megatron's fine…"

Knockout grabbed onto his arms and affirmed that they were solid. Starscream jolted, but then restrained himself from kicking Knockout. The doctor's eyes marvelled at his restored body, and he began to stammer, "Sorry, it's just after I _saw_ this body… you know, and after I put it all back together… How is this possible?"

"You aren't going to experiment on me, are you?" Starscream stared, checking for signs of interest.

"Ha! No, but I do need to take a look at you. I have to see if everything's really the same…"

Knockout beckoned him to follow him, but Starscream tiptoed into the hall and muttered, "Shockwave isn't about, is he?"

"Oh, so you are actually worried about that!" Knockout laughed. "And rightfully so, I bet."

Starscream heard other footsteps and realized that someone had been nearby to keep an eye on him. He slipped in behind Knockout, using him as a barrier between him and Bulkhead's massive form. When they neared the med bay, Starscream leapt back around the corner after glimpsing Shockwave and Soundwave. With that, he spun around and trotted as silently as he could away.

However, Soundwave had seen him and had begun walking down the hall. Starscream heard the lightest, quick patters, and his spark drummed. Knockout hurried after Starscream in concern, but his pursuing footsteps only stressed Starscream further.

"Relax, Starscream!" Knockout puffed out. "No one will get you here."

Then came Bulkhead, now with Bumblebee, walking briskly down the hall toward him. Their expressions and bodies were tense because of Starscream's erratic behaviour. For Starscream, the halls were tightening as bots crowded his exits either way. Like a drifting shadow, Soundwave had appeared at the corner and stood behind him, staring.

Starscream shook until he moved. When he tore past the Autobots, they hollered and gave chase. He transformed then to gain distance, tearing ahead in the halls he knew. However, a figure squared himself before him, and Starscream transformed just before he slammed into Ultra Magnus. Starscream slid too close, tried to hop away, but a hand snatched his wingtip and dragged him back.

Frantic claws turned on Ultra Magnus. There was a yell and blood, but Starscream did not look once he was free. He zipped past Ultra Magnus and finally jetted outside.

The Predacons were on the roof, and Starscream's spark lurched at their sudden appearance. He swerved around them, hearing their startled cries as he burst out. The fresh fear powered him on into the distance, but eventually, he would come back the next time he was persuaded.

* * *

Ripclaw had found him, and Starscream returned with a worse feeling knotting up his insides. Now, the others only had more reason to hate him. Faces were harder than before, especially Ultra Magnus'.

"I am sorry," Starscream choked out. "I was overwhelmed… I need time to adjust, alone, and outside… I swear that I will do my best and aid the construction effort…"

No one seemed to truly understand and forgive him. Still, they were so afraid of his power that it was all they could see. They wanted to control him, but had to do it carefully to not anger him. So they allowed him to stay outside, but Starscream was tracked. His spark signal was the same, they had realized, and could be found.

A Predacon or a bot would often creep near whatever hiding place he was using, just to make sure he was not up to anything. Several of them tried to visit him and talk to him, but he forgot which ones in the haze of fear. Starscream could not stand the strained faces and dialogue as everyone tried to manage him, and the individuals melted into one piercing thought in his mind:

_They do not want me here._

It seemed the most logical thing. Of _course_ their lives would be easier if he were gone. They would not have to watch themselves, worried that he might die again and attack them with renewed fury. Perhaps some of them had cared about his spirit, urging him to the Allspark for his own sake. But now, since he had not done what they expected, his existence was an embarrassment.

Their eyes said, _Why is he back? He should not be here. _They had mentally prepared for a future without Starscream. But the worst thing he imagined in their eyes: _Why him, instead of Cliffjumper?_

For Cliffjumper, they would have thrown a celebration; Starscream only received awkward interactions.

Ripclaw left him some energon, but it was tasteless.

Starscream flew aimlessly and never could sleep when he tried. He did not feel completely safe anytime he landed, for his head was filled with images of bots stealing up on him. No place was perfect: he wanted exits to flee, but the more holes there were, the more likely he would be seen or reached.

One evening as the sun set, Knockout found him. He looked him up and down, then proclaimed, "You look exhausted."

"I am," Starscream murmured.

"This isn't good for you. I think it is time you come inside, and I promise, I will take care of you. You can have a room all to yourself, and no one you don't want to see can come in."

He was so tired of running that he wearily agreed. Knockout took his arm to guide him, but Starscream twitched at the touch. Starscream wondered if he was holding him just because he was worried he would run again and take more days to tame.

It seemed that this idea of Knockout's had been everyone's plan, for Starscream saw no one when he was escorted into the _Nemesis_.

"You know what you need?" Knockout piped up. "A hot oil bath and a polish!"

Starscream blinked dully at his enthusiasm. When he slipped into a full bath, however, his spark lifted a bit. Nothing so pleasant had touched him in his days of new life, so he dropped his guard and sank into the heat. Meanwhile, Knockout left him alone and waited in the hall until Starscream emerged on his own time.

He still moved cautiously with Knockout, so unlike how they had once strolled these halls leisurely together. Starscream nearly stopped when he noticed that they were heading straight to the med bay, but Knockout assured him, "I moved Megatron over. The whole room's yours."

Inside, Starscream was asked to lie down onto the middle berth. Knockout felt Starscream's eyes on him, turned from his supplies, and murmured, "You aren't afraid of me too, are you?"

"No," Starscream replied.

"Then why are you acting so… weird?"

Starscream knew why. He remembered how eager Knockout had looked when they had trapped his spirit, ready to destroy him. It hurt so much that Knockout had wanted him gone, and now, Starscream could not help but wonder if Knockout _really_ wanted him here.

"Don't you trust your doctor?" Knockout asked. "I mean, I've done an organ transplant on you, arm surgery…"

"I do not think you will hurt me," Starscream stated.

Knockout shrugged, but cast a questioning glance at him. If it was not fear this time, then he wondered what was affecting Starscream.

He gave Starscream some energon, who drank it and still did not find it as sweet as he remembered. Then Knockout began to buff Starscream, but noticed that he was tense for a long while. Slowly though, the polishing had a massaging effect and relaxed him. Starscream's eyes began to shut, but when Knockout asked him to roll over, he was suddenly wide awake. Reluctantly, he turned his back to Knockout and tried to push down the memories of his wings getting torn. After some time massaging his wings, Knockout guided Starscream to sleep, head resting over crossed arms.

When Starscream floated into lighter sleep, he realized he was sleeping, and jolted awake in alarm.

"How are you feeling?" Knockout asked.

Starscream flipped around, noticed that his body did feel rested, but still weighted and shaky. The same mood from before swept over him, like an incurable sickness.

"Fine," Starscream replied.

"You don't look it. I think you need some more rest."

Starscream sighed. Knockout was right, and Starscream felt like he had not gotten much rest at all. It might have been no more than an hour, but he did not care to ask because he was too cautious to fall asleep just yet.

"Where is everyone?" Starscream asked. "Have you been talking to them?"

"Most are probably on board, but honestly, they just left me to do this in peace. Well, I assume they are close by, but no one wants to crowd you. They think it is better to go slow and have you talk with one bot and someone you know better and trust."

Starscream squinted and analyzed him. When he wondered, _Out of everyone I know, do I trust Knockout the most?_, he realized that it was true, despite his feelings. Knockout had never intimidated him, and Starscream did not have to watch what Knockout's hands were doing.

_Although, Megatron is the one I know the best. I have not known Knockout long enough to really get to know him._

"Anyway," Knockout went on. "There is something else that I think will help you, to ease the stress during the roughest days until things get easier."

"What is it?" Starscream asked.

"Just a little something I can give you that numbs your fear centre."

"I am not certain…" Starscream replied. "I want to stay in control of myself."

Knockout shook his head. "No, it isn't like that. You have control over your actions and know what you want and don't want. All it does is take down your stress to something healthier. Taking the medication will not change who you are."

His face looked so sincere that Starscream thought it over. Maybe it was for the best, since his emotions ran ahead of himself in this shocking period. He was alarming the Autobots and already betraying their trust when he did not mean to. Moreover, he was too wary to even sleep.

"I should then," he murmured. "I think it would be best for us all."

"You don't need to worry about it." Knockout walked across the room to paw through a container. "Even I've taken it before."

He pulled out a metal box so soon that Starscream knew that he had brought the medication in preparation.

"When did you take it?" Starscream could not help but be curious.

"Oh, well…" Knockout frowned. "A long time ago. Sometimes, there are just times where you can't feel better because what's weighing down on you hasn't gone away. I never thought of it as a weak way out, just as something to keep me stronger as I got through it."

Starscream realized that he had never pictured Knockout before his arrival on the warship. He did not even know how old Knockout was, since he sometimes acted young, though he must have been older to be skilled in complicated operations. He could have been forged historical periods ahead of Starscream and lived an unimaginable life. For all he knew, Knockout could have even come from a colony planet. After all, he seemed so loosely attached to the Decepticons and did not even wear a Decepticon insignia.

He _really_ did not know Knockout like he knew Megatron.

When the syringe slid into him, Starscream did not flinch.

"Once every three solar cycles," Knockout said.

Starscream nodded as his arm felt like it was being filled with warm, heavy plastic. He knew it could not possibly be working so fast, but he already felt less angry with Knockout. It was confusing that Knockout could seem so nice while he had wanted him destroyed.

"You're acting mopey again. What's on your mind, 'Screamer?"

He sighed, deciding not to hold it in any longer. "Do you want me here, Knockout, or are you just pretending?"

"What now? Pretending?"

"I saw your expression when I was to be destroyed."

"Oh…" Knockout looked down. "I am sorry. I didn't know you were still there. I just… I was so afraid of you. I didn't see you, but some kind of demonic thing. I should have known it was still you, that you could have been changed if only you were understood."

Starscream looked to the side, trying to hide the hurt in his expression.

"Look," Knockout murmured guiltily. "I think a lot of us regret our approach. But I can seriously tell you that I am _glad_ that you are back."

"Why?"

"I guess you don't want to believe me, or rather, it's too hard to."

"I think I made a mistake," Starscream muttered. "I wished for this, and did not consider how hard it would be living in a world where everyone wants you gone."

"I know what you need."

"What is it _this _ti-"

Knockout leaned into the berth and tugged him into a hug. At once, Starscream was silenced. After he was sure that this was happening, Starscream tentatively placed his arms back around Knockout. It was much better now that he could feel again, to touch an actual body and be squeezed back. Warm solidity hooked him to the moment and let him know that he was both trusted and protected.

"It's good to have you back," Knockout murmured. "Welcome home."

"What am I going to do?" Starscream poured out. "How can I live with everyone else on the planet? They will all act strange, even if they never try to kill me. I will not fit in anywhere, and no Seeker would ever trust me to have power again. And what can I do if I cannot be a Seeker?-"

"Hush now, 'Scream," Knockout interrupted. "Things will get better. If there is one thing I know about bots- they spend more time worrying about themselves than others. Soon, they are going to forget about you and live their own lives as society is rebuilt. One day, Cybertron will be busy with bots and tourists and no one will have time to think of the War or you. I imagine that since the Air Command took such a big hit, there won't be many Seekers coming back. It will be filled with a new generation of Seekers who have no personal reason to hate you."

"Jetfire or Silverbolt will take over," Starscream murmured, sliding back. "They will remember to hate me."

"Come now, they _won't_ be angry forever. Stick around and stay out of trouble, and they might think of letting you join them."

"Why would they want _me _after-"

"Because having a scary aberrant on your side has its perks."

Starscream frowned. Knockout nudged him. "What? A Seeker who's not afraid of flying into risk of death because he can just come back? Not to mention a clever strategist and possibly the most agile and skilled flier in the historical records?"

Starscream could not help smirking and pushing him back.

"A-_ha_! A smile!" Knockout cried.

"Such obvious flattery."

"Doesn't stop you from liking it, does it?"

Starscream tried to wipe his face clean, and Knockout reclaimed his seriousness.

"I mean it though," he said. "They will forgive you."

"If that happens… What will I do until then?" Starscream sighed.

"Construction?"

Starscream shivered. "Now that I think about it, it sounds like a terrible idea to put me alongside the vehicons. Half of them would faint and the other half would run off. My presence would just be a harmful distraction."

"Once society is starting to get functional, we'll find you a job. Or if all else fails, you can be my assistant. I am definitely going to open up my own studio of sorts. Body modifications and detailing, hmm, either in Iacon or Kaon."

"Thank you… I mean it," Starscream sighed. "All these days, I kept worrying about where I could fit in if I could not be a Seeker. Who would accept me…"

"Everything will work out," Knockout said. "But until I get my own studio, who cares if we lounge around here? There's no money yet. Sleep, relax. Let's see what happens."

The word _sleep_ made his body remember the days without rest all at once. His eyes drooped and he leaned back into the berth. Had he been alone, he would have been too cautious to rest. But he felt safe with Knockout watching, his spark relaxing because he knew that this was not an act.

* * *

"The Predacons asked to see you, but… it's up to you, of course."

Starscream sighed and rubbed circles on his head. He had just woken up from a check-up, where Knockout had taken a look at him with Shockwave. The lingering scientist had been frightening, and clearly his curiosity needed to be satisfied. In the end, it was for the best that Knockout was there to control everything.

"You can start with one of them, that nice one," Knockout suggested.

Starscream agreed, and Ripclaw was let in. He shrunk a bit when her large body strolled in, and he still was watchful of her claws. To his relief, his spark did not pound out of control and give him tunnelvision.

"Starscream! How are you? Oh, look at you!" she gasped.

He looked brighter, finely polished, energized, and rested. She stepped closer in admiration, then apologized when she saw him tensing up.

"Oh, sorry, sorry…"

He did not seem as distressed as before. Ripclaw tested padding closer, making it all the way to the berth beside Knockout without him running.

"Oh my goodness! I am so happy that you trust me so much," she laughed in delight. "Can I touch you?"

While her face was naturally frightening to behold, her friendly personality outshone it. Ripclaw seemed so eager to touch him that he breathed, "Alright."

She inhaled in excitement and curled her claws. Starscream leaned away, but stayed on the berth. The back of her fingers rubbed his shoulder in a soothing circle, then dared do the same to his wing.

"Oh, you are so brave," Ripclaw murmured. "I am proud of you."

He was beginning to relax.

"Can I hold you?"

Starscream felt his spark give a start, and he tried to control it.

_She never did anything to me. Ripclaw always supported me and is very kind. This Predacon will not hurt me._

After he consented, she carefully moved her thick arms around him. It was hard to watch himself be enclosed, so he closed his eyes and tried to focus on how gentle the metal was. His energon began to rush when he felt himself be dragged toward her. He had not expected this, and he might have scratched her in fear without the medication.

_I am safe, it is okay. I am okay…_

The Predacon sat on the floor and placed him into her lap. When he was clutched and surrounded by warmth, he relaxed and felt at once protected, not threatened, by the beast. Ripclaw could feel him loosen up as he thought to himself, _Perhaps being a Predacon can mean something else. _

Ripclaw purred, "Aww, you know, you are pretty cute."

Knockout snorted very loud, then cackled as Starscream exploded out of her grasp.

"_Annnnd_ that's enough of that," Knockout wheezed.

"What? What is wrong?" Ripclaw's eyes widened in innocence.

"Nothing," Knockout grinned. "In fact, you're just helping Starscream feel more like himself."

Starscream had stumbled away to his feet, straightening his wings and trying to look dignified. There was an indignant and mature expression on his face as he tried to recover.

"He is okay?"

"He's fine," Knockout answered. "But I think his ego needs to heal, so you should probably leave him in peace."

"Oh, well, as long as he is okay…"

Ripclaw backed out. After she was gone, Knockout would not stop laughing. Starscream groaned and wanted to dash out for a flight, but could not after his surgery.

* * *

Starscream decided to give construction a try regardless, just to get out and expose himself to others. He hoped Knockout was right, that others would forget him over time and worry about themselves. Unfortunately, there was no change in the entire week Starscream mingled.

He tried to master the Soundwave technique of moving without being noticed, but eyes were always on him. Bodies shifted away whenever he entered an area, more than just the vehicons', as many more Cybertronians returned from space and heard the story.

A former Decepticon once called him out and approached him threateningly, but his friend snatched his shoulder and gasped, "No, mate, you don't want to make him mad! He'll come for you, you know, after he…" Then the following whispers frightened the aggressor into fleeing.

At least Starscream had no fear of being attacked. As for Megatron, he did not show his face while he recovered and walked to regain strength. Soundwave stayed with him, but Shockwave however, had unintentionally caused the most trouble. Enraged dinobots heard he was being sheltered and came to terminate him, then met a defense wall of furious Predacons. The bloody fight only halted when they found out that Shockwave had left in the chaos. He had teleported away, but the Predacons hid the fact from the Dinobots that they could track him. Starscream only heard of what had happened when he got back, since the roaring had terrified him into spending a night away.

It was horrifying to see the marks on Ripclaw caused by the Dinobots, to know that there were more terrifying beasts that might equal the Predacons in strength. She was burnt and scratched as thought it _had_ been other Predacons she was fighting, but Starscream realized that her venom had been kept out of the battle no matter how vicious it got.

In Shockwave's disappearance, Megatron and Soundwave wondered if they would be the next targets of some vengeful Autobots. Starscream was never comfortable around Megatron and left when he was near, so he was alarmed when Megatron asked to visit him directly.

"We received word from Shockwave through the Predacons," Megatron rumbled as Starscream shrunk up. "He is leaving Cybertron. Soundwave and I intend to go with him."

Starscream became less nervous in his surprise. "You are leaving?"

"It was an idea we originally considered," Megatron replied. "We should have acted upon it sooner. It appears that the world is not ready for us, and it needs time to forget the severity of our actions."

The word _forget_ caught Starscream's attention.

"How long will you be gone?" Starscream asked.

Megatron hesitated, as though they had not thought it through. "Perhaps a century. If we are still met with hostility upon our return to Cybertron, we will spend further time away."

"Did you decide where you will go?"

"It would be dangerous to reveal our destination. However"- Megatron looked to them both- "I would inform you if either of you agreed to join us."

Knockout's reply was instant. "I think I'm fine right here. No one is angry with me. And leave Cybertron for some other random, distant planet in the galaxy? I'll pass, thank you."

Megatron and Soundwave looked to Starscream, sensing his consideration. Noticing his pause, Knockout stared at him in dismay.

He could run from his discomfort, but Starscream knew he did not have to since no one dared harm him. It would just be _easier_ to leave Cybertron and the bots who wished he didn't exist. On the other hand, to be alone with Megatron, Shockwave, and Soundwave frightened him. It might be like the cold life on the warship, where no one cared about him and would turn on him if he stepped out of line. Soundwave would be watching him, and Shockwave might be lurking, wanting to conduct experiments…

Starscream felt that he was getting ahead of himself. It would not be that bad if he was being invited. A band of outcasts who only had each other, building a little home far away. They would have the muscle of Megatron and Shockwave, then the cleverness of the scientist and spy. Life might be interesting, and perhaps enough time would help them understand that they shared similar feelings.

To Knockout, Starscream murmured, "Are you sure that you do not want to…?"

"Stay, Starscream," Knockout replied. "You aren't in danger here."

Here, he had Knockout and Ripclaw. There, there would be no Predacons or crowds that feared him, no societal pressure or responsibilities. A thought then let Starscream decide. He realized that he had already taken the easy route before: each time he clung to a stronger figure- Megatron or Unicron, to make decisions for him. If he followed Megatron now, would he become just as dependent as before? And what kind of life was he living, following Megatron across the universe time and time again?

It was time to stand up and try to fight for his better life, even if it was going to be hard and frightening. Fate had a way of leaping into Starscream's life at the worst times, however. The floors and walls rumbled and everyone stumbled as the warship lifted into flight. As they looked around, baffled, the alarms began to blare.

Starscream clenched his fists, refusing to let the question hang in the air.

"I will stay!" he called out, mostly to Knockout. The doctor locked gazes with him and beamed, then they focused on worrying about what was happening.

Knockout and Starscream ran ahead of Megatron and Soundwave, transformed, and hurried to the front. Starscream was the first to arrive, and he stared at the fidgeting Bumblebee and Ratchet.

"What is happening?" he demanded.

The warship plowed over the clouds on a beeline toward Iacon. To the side of the window, Ultra Magnus' ship flew. Whatever the news was, it was so horrible that they forgot to be disgusted with Starscream.

"We are not certain" Ratchet growled. "It does not sound good. A large ship carrying Minicons went to recolonize the moon, and now it is returning under Airachnid's control."

"Airachnid? What?"

"She demands that we surrender, or else she will release a plague that will wipe out everyone on Cybertron."

"A plague? Wait… hold on. Oh no…" Starscream's eyes expanded. "I know what is happening."

They whipped their heads back at him.

"The Decepticons sent Airachnid and all her Insecticons off the warship," Starscream rushed. "It was at the time we had an incident, a plague that destroyed half our crew by turning them into energon-sucking Terrorcons. It was passed along by a single bite, but we thought we had stopped its spread. If _she_ claims to have possession of it, then that means her Insecticons are infected but she is able to control them!"

"A single bite?" Bumblebee gasped.

"If she coordinates them, that plague could spread impossibly fast. We have to terminate _all_ of them, which can only be done by shooting them through the spark."

Knockout burst in. "I'm here! What is happening?"

"The Terrorcon disease." Starscream whirled around. "It is back."

"Vampire zombies!" Knockout yelped. "Not again, I thought we-"

Starscream turned back to the horrified Autobots. "We need to blast the Insecticons out of the sky before they spread. Just one left alive would be disastrous for this world… And we _must_ stop Airachnid, or else the hive will be more dangerous."

"The Aerialbots are on their way," Ratchet muttered. "But if one bite will infect them, then they need to be wary of combining into a larger target."

"Where is the spacecraft?" Starscream asked. "Are the Insecticons still within it?"

Ratchet turned to the side to reveal the blip on the screen they were approaching.

Bumblebee said, "She will see us coming; she will release them before we can shoot. We need to be ready with fliers in the sky."

"It will be hard to shoot through their plating into sparks," Starscream added. "We could instead have the fliers shoot their wings to crash into the ground. Then, the others can fight there and finish them off."

"I like that plan," Bumblebee proclaimed. "Ratchet, call everyone! The refugees both Autobot and Decepticon, but tell the troopers to go home! They could make it worse. All fliers in the sky, and everyone else to cover the streets!"

Ratchet worked as swiftly as he could, and everyone gave him complete silence to explain the predicament. However, all eyes were locked on the signal they were approaching. Then, they raised their faces to the window until the smudge of a distant spaceship was seen.

Starscream inhaled internally. For a Minicon-owned ship, it was _massive_. He twitched, imagining the undead bodies squirming within and trying to remember how many Insecticons there had been before. Ratchet and Ultra Magnus opened fire the moment they saw it, but then the back end of the ship dropped open and the swarm escaped like a black explosion.

"Fire!" Knockout hollered. "_Fire_!"

They did, regardless of his cries. Shots beamed through the cloud just as Predacon forms swooped over the window and blasted fire. Starscream watched them soar on, and froze as he imagined just what would happen if one of them was caught, killed, and infected.

A final black shape sped out of the spacecraft, leaving the transport flying straight for them. Ratchet swerved in the time that they had, heaving the warship out of the way and throwing everyone off their feet. While he spared the _Nemesis _ from damage, Knockout fell into under the catwalk and Starscream dug claws into the floor.

"That was Airachnid!" Starscream called.

Ratchet frantically tried to both shoot and send in portals for faraway Cybertronians. Starscream saw Seekers zip out toward the swarm, shooting ahead and striking down individual dots. Watching, he felt his spark and wings quiver with a need to go out and join them. He snapped away, racing out of the room and past Megatron and Soundwave. Then, his feet stopped pounding as he transformed and ripped through the halls.

_I can help. I am a flier, I should be out there-_

Passion flooded him with energy and burnt away the fear.

_I will stop her. I can get through the Terrorcons. _

Starscream burst outside and swerved around the ship, shooting off like an arrow toward the swarm. The other fliers were looping back constantly, trying to keep their distance while dropping Insecticons for the army on the ground. The four Predacons were split, all trying different angles to get around the swarm to Airachnid, the lone bot they had heard about. Their fire melted wings easily, felling them faster than the Seekers could. As Starscream fired, he searched with the Predacons for Airachnid.

They did not know what she looked like, but Starscream searched for the spinning of her helicopter blades. He zipped past Ripclaw, weaving his smaller body through the outer ranks of Insecticons. Sucking tubes extended and snapped at him, missing in his speed.

_She must be in the thick of them, hiding._

He circled, scanning for an opening to go in deeper.

_I can take a risk. The others can't. _

Then, he heard a muffled growl behind him and a sudden silence. He snapped around to face the sound, then saw Ripclaw plummet through the air. All he could was watch for a moment in confusion, taking in the white wrapping her wings and muzzle. Then, it clicked as he spotted Airachnid, hidden and pressed against the back of one undead Insecticon.

She leapt off just then, diving for the descending Predacon. In the thick of battle, no one caught the moment and Starscream had almost missed it himself. Fate prodded him again, this time insisting that it was not here to thwart him. It screamed at Starscream now that the moment was his.

He shot down faster than Airachnid, the air slicing with a screech as he came down. She tossed her head back in surprise, spotted him, and transformed before she was struck. With a shuddering boom, Ripclaw crashed into a building and collapsed a level. Wall and floor crumpled over the Predacon as she slipped to the ground to be buried and trapped. At that time, Airachnid swerved and flew, abandoning the Predacon to dodge Starscream and mentally call for back-up.

There was no escaping his speed. Despite his lack of powerful missiles, his blasts shocked her precisely and halted her. Hollering in pain, she transformed reflexively and struck a rooftop. As she rolled, web shot from her hands in hopes of catching his wings. Starscream spun sideways to evade the shots, then he dipped down as Airachnid fell off the building.

She scrambled onto her hands and knees as Starscream slammed down onto his feet. Airachnid stared up into a blaster heated in her face. Then, she snarled in ire before he proclaimed, "Call off the Insecticons, Airachnid. I know you are controlling their infected minds. Stop them now."

As he stared into her furious face, it cracked open. Starscream was so startled to see the change that he was slow to yank back, and the teeth of the tube snapped onto his blaster. With a yowl, he yanked it off and scrambled back, but she was already lunging.

She was not dead, but he had not expected _this_. Her cruel face was now an indescribable horror, of thirsty eyes, glowing veins, and teeth. That face rushed at him as Airachnid leapt, shooting the tube at his neck and crashing into his body. He screamed as he fell back and felt the teeth pierce a neck tube. His hands grabbed and tried to shove, but at once the tube sucked with painful pressure, ripping a hole and drawing blood rapidly into her body.

His vision and hearing began to dim, but he felt her weight on him and knew where she was. Gasping, he swiped his claws over her in desperation, but as strength failed him, his arms dropped ineffectively. Now, all he could see was black as he fought to stay conscious. In a few more seconds, he will lose too much energon and perish. A few seconds after, and his body would be completely drained.

_If I die…_

There was no time to complete the thought, but he meant to wonder if he would be able to come back again. Who had allowed his return? While his spark was abnormal, surely only Primus could have recreated his exact body. Perhaps Starscream could not return infinitely, but only if his creator allowed it...

Starscream dragged his hands up his chest, then collectively shot his fingers straight up where he assumed Airachnid's tube was. The tips sank through metal and something soft, then Starscream heard a gasp. The tube slid away, weight rolled off him, and there was a quiet thud.

Slowly, he sat up and blinked until he received blurry vision. Airachnid lay beside him, throat punctured by claws and gushing energon. As blood continued to trickle out his own neck, Starscream leaned over her and stabbed his hands into her spark chamber. She jerked, then collapsed, tube and hands splayed out to the sun. After the light faded from her eyes, it did not restart, for she was never to rise again.

His hands slid out as he fell back. Starscream crumpled onto his side, shivering and feeling suddenly frigid. The energon was hot though, still running out from his neck like lines of lava.

_I'm losing too much._

He reached up and tried to pinch the tube closed, but to no avail. While lying, Starscream transformed an arm and fired past his neck, trying to use the heat of the blasts to melt the tube. His mouth flapped as he called in a fading whisper for help.

_I am going to die. What will happen? I don't want to die, so soon…_

He felt even colder.

_Go to the Allspark right away. You might be reborn._

Starscream felt the loss of feeling but also a strange tingling throughout his body.

_Let go. It is over._

Even if someone was racing to him and yelling, Starscream would not have heard, for his senses were nearly gone now.

_What if I do not return this time… If I spoiled my one chance?_

_You will be fine. Leave this body._

Starscream felt dizzy as though he was in motion, and the tingling feeling now intensified and felt like bugs crawling through his drained tubes. Something heavy curled up in his gut, and he felt bloated and on the verge of vomiting.

_No, I think the disease is taking over-_

Suddenly, he felt so light and empty. The feeling was unbearable, and he needed to be filled. _Energon_… He needed energon, now. The thirst was so strong, he needed to drink sweet energon, so much energon, hot energon…

Starscream's body shambled forward, and he barely recognized the feel of his feet over the ground. He was on the move, but he could not see where he was going.

_Energon, delicious energ- No! I am dying, it is taking me over!_

_You want to stay now and taste it. You are unbearable thirsty and empty inside, but imagine fresh energon filling you. You must find it now._

Starscream's body halted, flexing its claws.

_No, this is wrong,_ he thought. _Something is…_

It was familiar, that crawling almost living presence within him. Then it struck him at once. His thoughts, saying in second-person- they were not his own thoughts. Within the disease was dark energon, and now within his body yet again was-

_You!_ Starscream screeched internally. _Get out of my body!_

There was no being to tackle, but Starscream's spark brightened in resistance. Through the blackness and his dim senses, Starscream clawed for control of his body and began to see a light.

The taint of dark energon saw through his memories and remembered how Starscream had failed him. It uttered, You_ are too late. I will steal one life today._

_No!_ he yowled mentally and fought to wrench back his moving body. As he regained more feeling, he could feel himself pinning a struggling bot under him. The tube within him itched to slide out and strike. Already, his mouth was stretched wider than it could have gone before, fangs protruding through the metal. Starscream felt them gnash together as he tried to refuse, then he felt them open again as the dark energon fought back.

_You do not control me! You will not force me to do this!_

The specks of infection swirled around his spark chamber, looking for openings. However, the light was growing stronger, pushing them back.

_Be gone!_

His vision snapped into clarity and Starscream let out a long gasp. Now, he felt everything, his claws embedded into Smokescreen's shoulders and his quivering back under his legs. The young Autobot's face was turned and right below him, one blue eye wide in terror and staring up at his fangs.

"Smokescreen," he breathed. He imagined his energon rushing in fear, and the thirst urged him to bite and swallow his blood. With great effort, he forced himself to release Smokescreen.

"Quick," Starscream hissed. "Before I lose control and hurt anyone… Shoot me, Smokescreen."

The young Autobot gazed at him and hesitated. Starscream blinked, frowning slightly in confusion. What was holding him back? He had just nearly killed him, and he likely wanted Starscream gone anyway. Was he afraid of angering him?

"Shoot me, now," he groaned. "You must. I hear Unicron and he is trying to use this body..."

Smokescreen transformed an arm into a blaster, slowly aiming it for his chest. When Starscream shifted closer, Smokescreen flinched but let Starscream place the blaster over his spark chamber. Then, Starscream gazed into Smokescreen's eyes and realized there was regret in them.

_He does not want to hurt or kill me…_

In that moment, he felt warm with hope.

_Smokescreen has a good spark. He could be a great friend, if I am lucky enough to have him._

"It is okay," Starscream sighed to him. "I am already dead."

Smokescreen nodded subtly, and the blue of his concerned eyes was the last thing Starscream saw before he fired.


	19. Days Gone By

Those whispers felt like the ghostly scraps of a dream. Skywarp's voice, murmuring, "_Don't you want to stay_?"

"_I do_," Starscream had answered. "_That is why I have to go back. I promised._"

"_Then wait for us_… _will you?_"

* * *

Cybertron was at peace in the following years. The population had spiked and the construction effort had sped up so quickly that society could now begin afresh. Shops lined the streets, fresh money and jobs opened up, all while the police forces kept everyone in order. Iacon was the first city to come back to life, and so Knockout established his studio there for that very reason.

A sign displayed Knockout's name with a glow the opposite of modest, and within that building, Knockout had gathered the latest art to display and impress customers. His dream had come true, and now he was always fully booked and raking up both fame and fortune. Over an unconscious patient having their chest plate replaced, Knockout smirked at his assistant.

"Only three more patients," he tittered.

Starscream rolled his eyes and passed him the next tool. Knockout only laughed, knowing that Starscream was not nearly as excited as he was to see the first race in Tarn later that night. Without his permission, Knockout had bought tickets and insisted Starscream would enjoy it if he just gave it a chance. When asked why he did not just join the race, Knockout pressed that he had a reputation and would not bear losing. This year, he would study his competition from afar.

Truth told, Starscream never minded what they decided to do. With the world against him, he was thankful to have Knockout and on occasion- Smokescreen, who was easier to get to through Knockout contacting him. Time passed, but still the other Autobots had been very awkward on the subject of his existence. Moreover, the Air Command had yet to forgive him or desire him. It crushed his spark to be rejected by his people, but so long as he kept his mouth shut, other bots did not have to scorn him as well.

When Knockout redid his body, he saved him from the glares. Although his form was roughly the same, the new curves, wing position, and non-traditional Starscream colours prevented suspicion. Around customers, he smiled a lot and acted friendly, and no one discovered that the pretty, black assistant decorated with blue and silver was a war criminal.

Some days, it felt like Knockout was all he had. Ripclaw had been gone for years, having had left with Megatron, Soundwave, and Shockwave. She had told him that they needed someone like her to be happy, and she said that perhaps she was getting in the way of Starscream connecting with her brothers. And yet, Starscream was still not able to gain a deeper connection with any of them although they had tried.

Predaking, Skylynx, and Darksteel knew where he was and what he looked like now, but the couple of visits they had attempted were uncomfortable. Their departures were always a relief, but Starscream clung onto the gifts they had bought him. There was no more anger within him that made him want to chuck the presents away, but no urge to befriend them regardless. Instead, all he could do was stroke the little carvings and feel touched that they had tried to make him happier. Starscream placed the little art pieces within Knockout's gallery.

Naturally and without conflict, their lives drifted apart. New Predacons had started emerging from the Well, and Predaking was founding his own city for them where they could transform and be free to be themselves. After all, their presence in the growing cities was becoming more unwanted, as Predacons frightened others and caused accidental damage or traffic jams. The three Predacons were busy, and Starscream respected their efforts from a comfortable distance. It might have been better to be apart and move on, for not everyone could be held onto.

In the beginning, Starscream had felt cold in his energon. He woke up in the night, wondering if he had made the wrong choice in not following Megatron. It scared him a bit to be so free, and without an army or Seekers to lead, he did not know what to do. Then, the solution became clear: he would relax and have all the fun that he could, even if he felt lonely to have so few bots in his life. Hours could belong to the quiet times of watching television and sitting in the library, and the exhilarating times of moonlight flights and rollercoasters.

So this was a normal life, he had thought. Without a need to stress about power or pain, he quite liked it.

After Knockout closed up the studio, they headed through the chilly streets of Iacon toward the public warp station. It was still a bit too early for the scum to crawl out and rob innocent pedestrians, but Starscream was always on guard. If anything were to happen, he would throw himself into the danger before Knockout might be killed. However, nothing ever so horrible had happened since they had begun new lives in Iacon. Beady eyes looked back into Starscream's gaze from alleys and seemed to sense his fearless spirit, before backing off to search for easier prey.

Knockout paid for the groundbridge that funneled them out into Tarn, ancient rival of Vos and headquarters of the ground military. It had historically been a place of sports and competition, and a few stadiums were built within the city. Now, they simply had to follow the excited crowd of mostly wheeled-bots toward one of them. At the entrance, one burly soldier checked their tickets before allowing them in, then Knockout led Starscream to their seats.

They were situated high up for a good view of the entire track. While Knockout quivered in pure excitement, Starscream waited in tranquil silence and tried to keep an open mind. He remembered that memory Cliffjumper had showed him, where he experienced for himself the wonderful sensation of driving along a familiar route and feeling linked to a home. Because of that, Starscream tried to imagine everyone else's passion and the kinship between drivers.

Once it started, he believed that he would enjoy it in the end. Starscream knew more than he had before, and truly understood now what it felt like to be connected and familiar with something. Now that he had a home, he was not going to leave it. Days may go by and seem similar, but he was going to find comfort in them, time and time again. Starscream would manage, even if he might never make another friend again.

Nevertheless, he was still waiting. Starscream thought about how Cliffjumper would have enjoyed this race, and how funny it would have been if he had dragged Skywarp and Thundercracker out to watch something like this. Then his spark sank a bit, for he did not know how their personalities might change. If or when they came back… he may not have been able to recognize them.

It did not stop him from trying, from watching the news and searching through recent records of new Cybertronians. Starscream gazed into the pictures of young faces, looking for something familiar in their multi-coloured eyes. He dreamed that his spark would just feel a click, and then he would drop everything to go looking for the bot. This had not happened in the passage of years, and Starscream tried to accept that maybe these were more lives simply destined to stray from his.

He knew that Arcee was still waiting, though. That, he could sense even without discussing it with her. Her goodbye to Cliffjumper had never been intended to be permanent, like Megatron and Ripclaw's goodbye to Starscream. If Starscream could not have Cliffjumper again, then at the very least, he prayed that Cliffjumper would find his way back to Arcee.

For a long while, Cliffjumper's parting words to the Autobots would be Starscream's hope.

_Let's hope for a second life where we can all be friends again._

This was Starscream's third life, the most capable of all the previous ones to love and protect. He was always ready, always waiting for them, but he was not waiting to start his own life. It had already begun and had its own plan, after all. That currently being, Starscream smirked, happily going along with every one of Knockout's whims...

And that was the first of his plans to never backfire or fail.

**The End**


End file.
